Report: Rich senator, poor representative

ryanteaguebeckwith — Mon, 02 Feb 2009 09:50:32 -0500

Sen. Kay Hagan and Rep. Larry Kissell have more than a few things in common — they're both Democrats, both from North Carolina, both freshmen in Congress.

But they're tilting the opposite scales when it comes to personal financial wealth, Lisa Zagaroli reports.

A new analysis by the Center for Responsive Politics shows that Hagan is the seventh-richest freshman in Congress. Kissell is dead last, or 53rd, among the congressional newcomers.

Hagan's net worth is between $4.3 million and $38 million, which puts her average net worth as 33rd among all members of Congress. A former banker, Hagan earned $20,000 in 2007 as a member of the state Senate.

Kissell's combined personal finances fall somewhere between $20,000 and debt of $284,000, according to the reports lawmakers have to fill out which require assets and debts to be reported in wide ranges instead of specific amounts. The former Montgomery County schoolteacher earned $49,000 in 2007.

The richest freshman was Sen. Mark Warner, D-Va., who built his fortune (between $61 million and $451 million) in the telecommunications business.

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Report: Rich senator, poor representative