Meet the Top 10 Richest Members of Congress
One congressman has a net worth totaling $355.4 million.
Aug. 21, 2013 -- intro:There are plenty of mega-millionaires walking the halls of Congress every day, according to The Hill's annual 50 Wealthiest Lawmakers list released Tuesday.
The wealthiest lawmaker of all is Rep. Darrell Issa, R-Calif., whose net worth totaled $355.4 million in 2012. Issa also serves as Washington's top watchdog, chairing the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee. Rounding out the top 10 list were seven Democrats, four senators, and one woman.
The annual list calculates the net worth of members of Congress by subtracting their liabilities from their assets listed on their financial disclosure forms.
The Hill's full list can be found here, but take a look below at the lives of the 10 most rich and quasi-famous on Capitol Hill.
quicklist:1title:Rep. Darrell Issa, R-Calif. -- $355.4 milliontext:Issa's fortune doubled since last year, according to The Hill's 2012 list, which featured him as the third-wealthiest member of Congress, worth $140 million. Issa, who was accused of stealing a car in his youth, amassed his fortune in the car alarm industry, even recording his voice for a Viper car alarm message to warn potential thieves.
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quicklist:2title:Rep. Michael McCaul, R-Texas -- $101.9 milliontext:Rep. Michael McCaul, R-Texas, and his Texas-sized fortune sat atop The Hill's wealthiest list last year at $290.5 million, but dropped to second place this year at $101.9 million. McCaul, who represents a Texas district including parts of Austin and Houston, serves as the chairman of the House Homeland Security Committee. McCaul is married to the daughter of Lowry Mays, who founded Clear Channel Communications.
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quicklist:3title:Sen. Mark Warner, D-Va. -- $88.5 milliontext:Sen. Mark Warner, D-Va., is the richest senator on Capitol Hill, making his millions in the tech industry. He founded venture capital firm Columbia Capital, which invested in technology companies, and he was one of the early investors in Nextel Communications.
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quicklist:4title:Sen. Jay Rockefeller, D-W.Va. -- $83.8 milliontext:The Rockefeller name is nearly synonymous with money and power. Sen. Jay Rockefeller, D-W.Va., is the great grandson of John D. Rockefeller, who made his family riches in the oil industry. Rockefeller announced earlier this year that he will not seek re-election in 2014.
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quicklist:5title:Sen. Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn. -- $76.6 million text:Sen. Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn., has spent much of his life in public service, but his wife, Cynthia Malkin, comes from serious money. Her father is real estate tycoon Peter Malkin, whose family once owned part of a popular New York City landmark -- the Empire State Building.
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quicklist:6title:Rep. John Delaney, D-Md. -- $68.4 milliontext:Rep. John Delaney, D-Md., is the wealthiest freshman lawmaker on Capitol Hill. He founded two companies, Capital Source and Healthcare Financial Partners, which later became publicly traded. Delaney's website even boasts that he "founded two New York Stock Exchange listed companies before the age of 40."
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quicklist:7title:Rep. Jared Polis, D-Colo. -- $60.2 milliontext:Rep. Jared Polis's wealth blossomed in the tech industry. He's dabbled in a little bit of everything, from starting an online greeting card website with his parents called bluemountainarts.com, to founding a company that ships flowers around the country – Proflowers.com.
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quicklist:8title:Rep. Scott Peters, D-Calif. -- $44.7 milliontext:He may be a newbie to Congress, but Rep. Scott Peters, D-Calif., has already cracked the millionaires club on Capitol Hill. Peters once worked as an economist for the Environmental Protection Agency and served in a number of positions in San Diego, from president of the San Diego City Council to San Diego port commissioner. His wife, Lynn Gorguze, is president and CEO of Cameron Holdings, a private equity company.
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quicklist:9title:Sen. Dianne Feinstein, D-Calif. -- $41.6 milliontext:Sen. Dianne Feinstein, D-Calif., finds herself as the wealthiest woman on Capitol Hill. Feinstein, the former mayor of San Francisco, is married to investor Richard Blum, who chairs Blum Capital Partners. Together, the two even own part of The Carlton Hotel in San Francisco.
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quicklist:10title:Rep. Jim Renacci, R-Ohio -- $35.9 milliontext:Rep. Jim Renacci, R-Ohio, made his millions by starting LTC Management Services, a company that owns and operates nursing homes.
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