A bad economy, a successful businessman and a socialist-minded president in the White House have put pressure on former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney to release his personal tax returns as ordinary Americans — and his political opponents — try to determine the size of his personal fortune.
According to The Wall Street Journal’s “Wealth Report” blog, Romney is the richest person to run for president since 2000. The blog estimated that both Ross Perot and Steve Forbes are wealthier.
The report pegged Perot, who ran for president as an independent in 1996 and again in 1992, as having a current net worth of $3.58 billion. And it said Forbes, who sought the Republican nomination for president in 1996 and 2000, as having a stash worth $450 million.
Romney is worth an estimated $250 million, an amount that puts him ahead of Massachusetts Sen. John Kerry, the Democratic nominee for president in 2004, and former vice president Al Gore, the 2000 Democratic nominee. The blog puts Kerry’s personal fortune at $240 million and Gore’s at $100 million.
Two other presidential candidates from the 2012 Republican field, former Utah Gov. Jon Huntsman and former New Mexico Gov. Gary Johnson, also make the list with net worth numbers of $70 million and $30 million, respectively.
Former president Bill Clinton reportedly has a personal balance sheets showing $85 million. Former president George H. W. Bush’s is at $30 million.