Bernie Sanders is rich. And that’s a good thing, even for the socialists and populists who support a Sanders presidential candidacy. Before we get into specifics, it’s easy to tell that Sanders is rich. How? Because there is a simple fact in American life: a person cannot receive sustained media attention unless he has significant means. News cycles always contain the non-rich, but only the wealthy are able to sustain media interest over time, as Sanders has. (An exception might be made for the media savvy Al Sharpton, who claims little personal income, but Sharpton’s organization is rich.)
Bernie Sanders has an estimated net worth of $330,000. That may not sound rich — it makes him just the 86th richest US Senator — but compared to other Americans, Sanders is loaded. Americans’ median wealth is around $44,900. Median means that half of Americans have more than that figure, while half have less. Bernie Sanders is more than 7 times richer than at least half of all Americans. Sanders relative wealth is of interest because he is fighting to level the economic playing field, to eradicate the huge advantages and privilege enjoyed by the wealthy. To do this, ironically, he needs money. Lots of it. Bloomberg says Sanders hopes to raise $50 million for his campaign.
