Election 2012: How rich are these guys? Certain 2012 candidates are worth hundreds of millions, others far less.
By Charles Riley | Money – 19 hours ago
Mitt Romney 
Justin Sullivan/Getty ImagesTotal net worth: $85 million to $264 million
With no regular day job, Romney still earns a tidy income in the form of dividends and interest from his investments, and records filed with the Federal Election Commission show that the former Massachusetts governor commands between $20,000 and $68,000 on the speaking circuit.
Much of Romney's wealth is tied up in a blind trust, but some assets remain under his control -- including a few quirky items. For example, the FEC lists between $250,000 and $500,000 in horses, an asset the campaign says belongs to the candidate's wife. He owns another $250,000 to $500,000 in gold.
Romney has degrees from both Harvard Law and Harvard Business School, and had successful careers at the consulting shop Bain & Company and private equity firm Bain Capital before joining the Salt Lake City Olympics effort in 1999.
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Jon Huntsman 
Richard Ellis/Getty ImagesTotal net worth: $16 million to $72 million
The 51-year-old former governor spent much of his career in the public sector, but he also found time to work at the family business: Huntsman Corporation.
The candidate's father is one of the richest self-made men in the world, having given away more than $1 billion to fund universities and a cancer research center, among other causes.
Most of the younger Huntsman's assets are tied in some way to the family. He lists a family holding company worth between $5 million and $25 million as an asset.
The Utah native lists a few more conventional assets as well -- including investment funds from Vanguard and Fidelity.
Newt Gingrich 
Allison Joyce/Getty ImagesTotal net worth: $7 million to $31 million
The former house speaker is worth at least $7 million, putting him right in the middle of the 2012 pack.
The bulk of his assets come in the form of a promissory note from the Gingrich Group, LLC to Gingrich Productions, Inc., which are part of the tangled web of businesses the speaker maintains.
Most of the Georgia native's income comes from Gingrich Productions, a Washington-based multimedia company that paid out $2.4 million in disbursements to Gingrich.
Additionally, Gingrich lists between $565,000 and $1,150,000 in liabilities, including a now-closed line of credit at Tiffany and Co.
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Barack Obama 
Kristoffer Tripplaar-Pool/Getty ImagesTotal net worth: $2.8 million to $11.8 million*
While some of his Republican challengers are downright wealthy, President Obama isn't all that far behind.
Obama earns a $400,000 salary as the nation's chief executive, and the Center for Responsive Politics estimates his net worth to be somewhere between $2.8 million and $11.8 million.
Where did the former senator and law professor get that kind of cash? Book sales, mostly.
In 2010, the Obama family reported an adjusted gross income of $1,728,096, down from about $5.5 million in 2009, according to the first couple's tax returns.
His paycheck was much higher in 2009 because his books -- "Dreams from My Father" and "The Audacity of Hope" were registering strong sales.
The tax returns also show the family donated about 14% of their income to charity in 2010.
Ron Paul 
Richard Ellis/Getty ImagesTotal net worth: $2.4 million to $5.4 million
While nowhere near the poor house, Ron Paul has more modest assets than some of his deep-pocketed rivals.
The Texas congressman also has a personal loan out from the First National Bank of Lake Jackson that totals $250,000 to $500,000 with a 5-year term.
Paul lists a Washington-area condo worth $100,000 to $250,000 as an asset, and has an investment portfolio stuffed full of mining stocks.
For example, the sound-money advocate holds $100,000 to $250,000 in Barrick Gold Corporation and $500,000 to $1,000,000 in Goldcorp Inc., two publicly traded mining companies.
In all, the congressman is invested in more than 20 separate companies that have the words "mining," "mines," "gold" or "silver" in their name.
Rick Santorum 
Alex Wong/Getty ImagesTotal net worth: $1 million to $3 million
One of the poorest 2012 candidates, Rick Santorum is still a millionaire.
Much of the former Pennsylvania senator's money is tied up in rental real estate properties, as well as education and savings plans for his children.
Santorum also has some debt to his name -- including two mortgages for rental properties totaling between $350,000 and $750,000. Those properties, located in State College, Pa., are worth between $500,000 and $1.25 million, according to the FEC filing.
From relatively modest means, Santorum served as a congressman and senator, but has since found more lucrative compensation in the private sector.
Santorum earned $1.3 million in income from January 2010 until August of last year from a variety of jobs, including a gig at the Ethics and Public Policy Center in Washington and as a contributor on Fox News.
Rick Perry 
Rainier Ehrhardt/Getty ImagesTotal net worth: $1 million to $2.5 million
Rick Perry is not exactly poor. But it's all relative. His assets place him at the back of the pack of 2012 candidates.
The governor -- who's still on the job -- collects both a salary and pension from the state of Texas. The salary is $132,995 a year, and he brings in a monthly annuity of $7,698.
In August, Perry revoked his blind trust, giving a look into his portfolio. The candidate is invested in a wide range of companies, including PepsiCo, Procter & Gamble, Chevron, Cisco and Microsoft.
*Source: Center for Responsive Politics
