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2016 Presidential candidates’ net worth: Donald Trump vs. Bernie Sanders and more

The 2016 presidential candidates are a diverse group of political minds with agendas as diverse as their net worths. Some of the presidential candidates are among the wealthiest people in the country, while others have bank accounts that are on par with your everyday American. Money can make a world of difference in a political campaign. Donald Trump, for instance, has up until recently funded his own campaign.

Find out which of the top presidential candidates have the deepest pockets and which are on the bottom rung.

1. Donald Trump Net Worth: $4.5 Billion

Who Is Donald Trump?
Donald Trump’s net worth is $4.5 billion. The Republican presidential candidate has become an unlikely frontrunner as he has virtually no political experience. Prior to declaring his run for presidency, the successful businessman was already a well-known celebrity owed to his notoriously brash personality and long-running stint as host of NBC’s “The Apprentice.”

Trump’s presidential campaign started off on a controversial, high-profile note. During his June 16 campaign launch speech, Trump accused Mexican immigrants of coming to the U.S. and bringing in drugs and crime. After the first presidential debate in August, where he clashed with Fox News host Megyn Kelly, he accused her of having “blood coming out of her wherever.”

2. Carly Fiorina Net Worth: $58 Million

Who Is Carly Fiorina?
Carly Fiorina’s net worth is $58 million. The Republican presidential candidate served as the CEO of Hewlett-Packard from 1999 to 2005. She founded the American Conservative Union Foundation, which might have helped her gain traction with the Tea Party. She has never held elected office.

3. Hillary Clinton Net Worth: $45 Million

Who Is Hillary Clinton?
Hillary Clinton’s net worth is $45 million. The Democratic presidential candidate and former First Lady is back for round two after losing out to Barack Obama in 2008. The former U.S. senator from New York and secretary of state is among the most well-known candidates in the race.

Clinton’s campaign has faced a number of controversies as her family’s Clinton Foundation was found to have accepted donations from foreign governments. She has also been accused of hiding emails during her tenure as secretary of state.

4. Lincoln Chafee Net Worth: $32 Million

Who Is Lincoln Chafee?
Lincoln Chafee’s net worth is $32 million. The Democratic presidential candidate served as an independent governor of Rhode Island and previously served as a U.S. senator from Rhode Island from 1999 to 2007. During his political career, Chafee has switched from republican to independent to democrat, which might not sit well with many voters.

5. Ben Carson Net Worth: $26 Million

Who Is Ben Carson?
Ben Carson’s net worth is $26 million. The Republican presidential candidate is a retired neurosurgeon who previously sat on the boards of Kellogg and Costco. Dr. Carson has never held an elective office, but he became famous in the political sphere after speaking at the National Prayer Breakfast in 2013. The presidential candidate has been outspoken in his opposition to Obamacare, referring it once as the “worst thing … since slavery.”

6. Jeb Bush Net Worth: $22 Million

Who Is Jeb Bush?
Jeb Bush’s net worth is $22 million. The Republication presidential candidate served as the Florida governor from 1999 to 2007 and established the Foundation for Excellence in Education after leaving office. He is known for taking a moderate position on immigration and Common Core.

Bush is the brother of former President George W. Bush and the son of former President George H.W. Bush. His fortune is considerably less than the Bush family net worth of $60 million, according to Celebrity Net Worth. George W. Bush’s net worth is $35 million and George H.W. Bush’s net worth is $25 million.

7. George Pataki Net Worth: $13 Million

Who Is George Pataki?
George Pataki’s net worth is $13 million. The Republican presidential contender served three terms as the governor of New York. Since then, he’s worked as an environmental lawyer, started his own business development firm concentrated on clean energy and helped run the anti-Obamacare organization Revere America.

8. John Kasich Net Worth: $10 Million

Who Is John Kasich?
John Kasich’s net worth is more than $10 million. The Republican presidential candidate has served as the governor of Ohio since 2011 and had an 18-year stay in Congress. He has received criticism from conservatives for supporting Common Core and expanding Medicaid in Ohio through Obamacare.

9. Mike Huckabee Net Worth: $9 Million

Who Is Mike Huckabee?
Mike Huckabee’s net worth is $9 million. The Republican presidential contender served as the governor of Arkansas from 1996 to 2007 and hosted the “Huckabee” show on Fox News from 2008 to 2015. Huckabee ran a failed campaign for the Republican Party in 2008 and is known for his ultra-conservative views on social and cultural issues.

10. Jim Gilmore Net Worth: $7 Million

Who Is Jim Gilmore?
Jim Gilmore’s net worth is $7 million. The Republican presidential candidate served as governor of Virginia from 1998 to 2002, where he phased out property taxes and reduced spending during the recession of the early 2000s. The U.S. Army veteran and 2001 chairman of the Republican National Committee ran for president in 2008 but withdrew his bid after six months.

11. Jim Webb Net Worth: $6 Million

Who Is Jim Webb?
Jim Webb’s net worth is $6 million. The Democratic presidential candidate served one term as a U.S. Senator but decided against running for re-election in Virginia in 2012. An outspoken critic of the Iraq War, Webb was in the Navy during the Vietnam War and briefly held the position of Reagan’s secretary of the Navy.

12. Bobby Jindal Net Worth: $5 Million

Who Is Bobby Jindal?
Bobby Jindal’s net worth is $5 million. The Republican presidential contender has been the Louisiana governor since 2008 and previously served in Congress for three years. Unlike many of his peers, Jindal has already shared his national policy plans on health care, education, energy and national defense.

13. Ted Cruz Net Worth: $3.5 Million

Who Is Ted Cruz?
Ted Cruz’s net worth is $3.5 million. The Republican presidential candidate is a U.S. senator from Texas. He famously tried to defund Obamacare during budget negotiations in 2013, which resulted in a government shutdown.

14. Chris Christie Net Worth: $3 Million

Who Is Chris Christie?
Chris Christie’s net worth is $3 million. The Republican presidential candidate has been the New Jersey governor since 2010 and previously served as the U.S. attorney for the District of New Jersey from 2001 to 2008. Governor Christie has earned a reputation for his moderate-to-conservative viewpoints and outspoken personality.

15. Rick Perry Net Worth: $3 Million

Who Is Rick Perry?
Rick Perry’s net worth is $3 million. The former Republican presidential candidate ended his run on Sept. 11, as his campaign was reportedly running out of funding. Perry previously served as the governor of Texas for 14 years.

16. Rand Paul Net Worth: $2 Million

Who Is Rand Paul?
Rand Paul’s net worth is $2 million. The Republican presidential candidate and U.S. senator is the son of former congressman Ron Paul, who ran for president in 1988, 2008 and 2012.

17. Rick Santorum Net Worth: $2 Million

Who Is Rick Santorum?
Rick Santorum’s net worth is $2 million. The Republican presidential candidate served as a U.S. senator from Pennsylvania from 1995 to 2007. He is known for his extremely conservative positions on social issues, such as abortion. Santorum ran for the GOP nomination in 2012, arguably finishing second in the primaries.

18. Lindsey Graham Net Worth: $1.5 Million

Who Is Lindsey Graham?
Lindsey Graham’s net worth is $1.5 million. The Republican presidential candidate has served as a U.S. senator from South Carolina since 2003 and has held some form of elected office since 1993. Graham takes a firm stance on foreign policy interventionism and has moderate views on environmental policy, which is unusual among candidates of the Republican Party.

19. Bill de Blasio Net Worth: $1.5 Million

Who Is Bill de Blasio?
Bill de Blasio’s net worth is $1.5 million. The Democratic mayor of New York City has raised suspicions that he is running for president. De Blasio served as Hillary Clinton’s campaign manager during her first Senate election but has failed to endorse her.

20. Joe Biden Net Worth: $800,000

Who Is Joe Biden?
Joe Biden’s net worth is less than $800,000. President Barack Obama gave Vice President Biden his “blessing” to run for the top office in 2016, but he has yet to announce his bid. In 2008, Biden ran for president as a democratic U.S. senator from Delaware but dropped out and eventually became Obama’s running mate.

21. Bernie Sanders Net Worth: $700,000

Who Is Bernie Sanders?
Bernie Sanders’ net worthis $700,000. The U.S. senator from Vermont is a Democratic presidential candidate despite previously identifying as an independent. Sanders is currently serving his second term in the U.S. Senate and previously spent 16 years in the House of Representatives — earning him the designation of longest-serving independent member of Congress in history.

Sanders is among the most liberal presidential candidates. He has long-supported a number of left-wing causes, such as single-payer health care, opposition of free trade and expanding Social Security.

22. Marco Rubio Net Worth: $100,000

Who Is Marco Rubio?
Marco Rubio’s net worth is $100,000. The Republican presidential candidate is a U.S. senator from Florida who previously served for nine years in the Florida House of Representatives. The Florida senator’s Cuban heritage has helped him gain support for conservative immigration reform and Cuban-American relations.

23. Martin O’Malley Net Worth: $0

Who Is Martin O’Malley?
Martin O’Malley’s net worth is zero. The Democratic presidential candidate served as the governor of Maryland for eight years until January 2015. He previously served as the mayor of Baltimore for seven years. He signed 40 tax increases into law as governor and has been an outspoken opponent of pending trade agreements. More recently, he has been campaigning to raise the minimum wage to $15 per hour.

24. Scott Walker Net Worth: -$72,500

Who Is Scott Walker?
Governor Scott Walker’s net worth is -$72,500. The Wisconsin governor and former Republican presidential candidate suspended his campaign on Sept. 21, 2015. In his concession speech, he encouraged some of his rivals to join together and unite against Donald Trump.

From GoBankingRates.com: 2016 Presidential candidates’ net worth: Donald Trump vs. Bernie Sanders and more

 

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