By JAKE MILLER CBS
NEWS
August
5, 2015, 3:40 PM
Presidential
candidates like to say they understand the problems and anxieties facing
working Americans. But a quick look at financial disclosure forms reveals that
many 2016 contenders enjoy a privileged lifestyle that most Americans would be
hard pressed to attain.
One of
the candidates is worth billions (though how many billions, it seems, depends
on whom you ask.) Most are millionaires, some many times over. Only a handful
have reported more modest financial holdings.
The
candidates' personal finances became clearer over the last month or so, as
campaigns rushed to file financial disclosure paperwork with the Federal
Election Commission in order to qualify for the first GOP primary debate on
Thursday.
Here's
a look at what we know about each candidate's personal wealth -- and how their
finances stack up against those of their rivals.
Republicans
·
Donald Trump - The businessman, real estate developer, and reality television
star is by far the wealthiest person in the 2016 bullpen, though it's tough to
pin down an exact number. Trump has claimed his net worth is over $10 billion
dollars. Forbes Magazine estimates the actual number is just over $4 billion.
And his financial disclosure form says he has assets worth at least $1.5
billion. His income in 2014, according to his campaign, was $362 million.
·
Carly Fiorina - The former Hewlett-Packard CEO and her husband, a former
AT&T executive, have amassed quite a fortune during their time in the
business world -- though not quite a fortune of Trump-ian proportions.
Financial disclosure forms estimate her net worth at $59 million. She and her
husband earned $2 million in 2013.
·
Jeb Bush - The former Florida governor is worth between $19 and $22
million, according to financial disclosure forms filed by his campaign. After
departing the governor's office, he hit the paid speaking circuit and served
for a short time as a paid advisor to Lehman Brothers, an investment bank that
went belly up during the 2008 financial crisis. His 2013 income was $7.4
million.
·
John Kasich - The Ohio governor's net worth is somewhere between $9 million
and $22 million, according to his financial disclosure forms. Like Bush, Kasich
earned some of his money from Lehman Brothers. He was also the host of a Fox
News show that ended in 2007.
·
Ben Carson - The retired neurosurgeon, according to his financial
disclosure forms, earned between $8.9 million and $27 million during the 16
months before he declared his presidential bid in May, including over $4
million from paid speeches, up to $6 million in book royalties, up to $10
million from sitting on the boards of Kellogg and Costco.
·
Mike Huckabee - The former Arkansas governor reported assets between $7
million and $29 million on his financial disclosure form. He came from humble
roots in Arkansas, but after leaving the governor's office, he earned a pretty
penny, thanks to paid speeches, a publishing company, and vacation rentals in
Florida, where he built a beachfront home worth roughly $3 million in 2010.
·
Bobby Jindal - The Louisiana governor reported assets between $3.79 million
and $11.3 million. He earns $130,000 yearly as governor of the Bayou State. He
listed 26 investment accounts on his FEC financial disclosure form,Reuters reported.
·
Ted Cruz - The Texas senator has a net worth between $2.4 and $4.7 million,
not including his $174,000 per year congressional salary, nor the compensation
his wife Heidi received as a Goldman Sachs executive (she took a leave of
absence from that job before Cruz launched his bid.) Cruz also received up to
$1 million in book royalties from his latest tome, "A Time for
Truth."
·
Rand Paul - The Kentucky senator's net worth was over $1.3 million in
2013, according to the Center for Responsive Politics.
·
Rick Santorum - The former Pennsylvania senator's net worth was between $880,000
and $1.9 million, according to financial disclosure forms filed before his 2012
presidential bid. After losing his bid for reelection to the Senate, Santorum
earned some consulting income, and in 2013, he was named the head of EchoLight
Studios, a Christian film production company.
·
Marco Rubio - The
Florida senator's net worth was just over $443,000 in 2013, according to the
Center for Responsive Politics.
·
Lindsey Graham - The South Carolina senator reported asssets between $216,000
and $740,000, and between $115,002 and $300,000 in mortgage debt. According to
the Center for Responsive Politics, Graham had an estimated net worth in 2013
of $1.02 million, making him the 68th wealthiest person in the Senate. But USA
Today noted that ranking is likely to drop in light of the 2014 data, which was filed last month. "His
new estimated net worth is closer to $270,000 after he removed his Capitol Hill
home from his list of assets this year," the paper reported. "It was
removed because Graham stopped renting out part of the home, so it no longer
generates income, according to his office."
·
Rick Perry - In 2014, the former Texas governor earned $130,000 in state
retirement benefits, along with $133,125 from his salary as governor. He earned
an additional $250,000 in consulting income, and $96,000 for several speeches.
·
Chris Christie - The New Jersey governor earned $277,000 from his state salary,
up to $50,000 from a blind trust, and up to $50,000 in royalties. His wife,
Mary Pat, has been the family's main breadwinner for years as managing director
at Angelo, Gordon, & Co., a Wall Street firm, but she stepped down from that
perch to assist Christie's presidential bid. The Wall
Street Journal estimates his net
worth at at least $1.5 million.
·
Scott Walker - Easily the least wealthy candidate in the GOP field, the
Wisconsin governor may actually have more liabilities than assets. His assets
total between $36,000 and $190,000, and his liabilities are at least $120,000,
including several thousand dollars of credit card debt, and at least $100,000
in student loan debt from sending his two boys to college, according to his
financial disclosure forms.
Democrats
·
Hillary Clinton - the former Secretary of State's net worth is somewhere between
$11 million and $53 million, according to her financial disclosure paperwork.
She and her husband, former President Bill Clinton, earned at least $25 million
delivering 104 speeches since the beginning of 2014. She also earned at least a
$5 million advance from her latest memoir, "Hard Choices."
·
Martin O'Malley - the
former Maryland governor has a maximum net worth of just over $250,000, according
to Bloomberg. That figure would be higher but for the over $300,000
in student loan debt the O'Malley family has incurred to send its kids to
college. O'Malley earns two annual pensions thanks to his days as a Baltimore
city councilman and mayor, and his stint as governor.
·
Bernie Sanders - The Vermont senator has between $194,026 and $741,030 in
assets, according to financial disclosure form, though all of his holdings are
in his wife's name. He earns $174,000 per year as member of Congress
·
Jim Webb - The former Virginia senator had a net worth of approximately
$4,580,095 in 2012, his last full year in the Senate, according to the Center
for Responsive Politics.
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