Politics everywhere is same. Home, Abroad, it all speaks the same language. To be a successful Politician, you must either belong to a certain calibre or have connections with some calibre, or most importantly, your bank expressions must be superb( I guess you know what I mean) But does that mean expensive races preclude non-wealthy individuals from running for office? Not necessarily, right? But it is clear that having a sizeable bank account can offer a real advantage when trying to get elected.
A Political research site Powered by Graphiq, decided to took a closer look at wealth in politics, focusing particularly at the richest members of Congress. Using the most recent data from the Center for Responsive Politics, the members of Congress with the highest estimated net worth in 2014. The net worth estimates are calculated from each member’s personal financial disclosures. For reference, we’ve also included the percentage change in estimated net worth of each member from 2013.
On average, members of the GOP appear to have higher net worths. Of the people on this list, 61 are Republicans, 38 are Democrats and one is an Independent. Additionally, with 11 members of Congress, Texas is the most represented state on the list, followed by California (nine members) and Florida (six members).
From least to most wealthy, here are the 10 out of the richest members of Congress.
1) Del. Madeleine Z. Bordallo
Average Net Worth: $5,565,004
Percent Change in Net Worth (from 2013-2014): 1%
Party: Democrat
State: GU
Years in Office: 14
2) Rep. Paul D. Ryan
Average Net Worth: $5,661,038
Percent Change in Net Worth (from 2013-2014): 2%
Party: Republican
State: WI
Years in Office: 18
3) Rep. Ami Bera
Average Net Worth: $5,732,531
Percent Change in Net Worth (from 2013-2014): 12%
Party: Democrat
State: CA
Years in Office: 4
4) Rep. David Schweikert
Average Net Worth: $5,846,004
Percent Change in Net Worth (from 2013-2014): 64%
Party: Republican
State: AZ
Years in Office: 6
5)Sen. James M. Inhofe
Average Net Worth: $6,295,937
Percent Change in Net Worth (from 2013-2014): -8%
Party: Republican
State: OK
Years in Office: 23
6) Rep. Debbie Dingell
Average Net Worth: $6,429,060
Percent Change in Net Worth (from 2013-2014): 3%
Party: Democrat
State: MI
Years in Office: 2
7) Rep. Scott R. Tipton
Average Net Worth: $6,441,535
Percent Change in Net Worth (from 2013-2014): 7%
Party: Republican
State: CO
Years in Office: 6
8) Rep. John L. Mica
Average Net Worth: $6,442,006
Percent Change in Net Worth (from 2013-2014): 0%
Party: Republican
State: FL
Years in Office: 24
9) Rep. James A. Himes
Average Net Worth: $6,504,524
Percent Change in Net Worth (from 2013-2014): -5%
Party: Democrat
State: CT
Years in Office: 8
10) Rep. George Holding
Average Net Worth: $6,573,019
Percent Change in Net Worth (from 2013-2014): 11%
Party: Republican
State: NC
Years in Office: 4
