Ex-presidential candidate, Bernie Sanders, is reported to be one of the least-wealthy senators in the country. How many homes does he have?
Bernie Sanders and his wife are reported to own three homes. One is in Chittenden County, Vermont. Another is in Washington, DC. Lastly, one is in Lake Champlain, Vermont.
Let’s take a more detailed look at the homes of Bernie Sanders and his spouse, as well as the politicians net worth.
Washington, D.C.
In 2007, Bernie Sanders and his wife, Jane Sanders, bought this Washington townhouse. It has a modest single bedroom and is around 900 square feet.
Presumably, the couple purchased this home in order to be close to the US Capitol, since it’s located only a few blocks away.
Despite only having one bedroom, the townhouse didn’t exactly come in cheap, with Bernie paying $488,999, at the time.
The senator’s compact townhouse can be seen in the left photograph.
Chittenden County, Vermont
In 2009, the couple purchased this four-bedroom house in Chittenden County, Vermont, for $405,000. They didn’t pay entirely in cash, obtaining a $324,000 mortgage. The large property sits on a big plot of land with attractive trees.
Lake Champlain, Vermont
Bernie and his wife purchased their second Vermont home in 2016. It’s1,800 square feet, and sits on the shore of Lake Champlain. It cost the couple $575,000.
Jane Sanders, Bernie’s wife, told the Burlington Free Press that the funds for the house came from several sources: an advance on a book Bernie was writing, the sale of Jane’s share in a family vacation home, and borrowed money from her retirement fund.
Bernie came under fire when he opted not to file a financial disclosure statement (including the new home purchase) during his candidacy, when he had been a staunch supporter of transparent candidate personal finance disclosure.
Bernie’s said at the time, “I guess our campaign just said ‘why bother?’” Explaining that Bernie had always been transparent with his finances in his annual disclosure as a US senator, she said, “There’s no new information.”
Bernie Sanders’ Net Worth
Differing figures of Bernie’s net worth have been recently reported. In 2019, Forbes asserted the senator’s wealth had reached $2.5 million.
Politico, on the other hand, went a little lower—just under $2 million.
The Center for Responsive Politics, which provides both a lower and upper estimate for candidates, put it somewhere between $729,030 and $1,837,701.
How did Bernie become a millionaire?
Bernie Sanders was not born into a wealthy family. He worked a series of differing jobs, such as a teacher at a preschool, before getting into politics. He was elected mayor in his hometown of Burlington, Vermont, in 1981.
Subsequently, he was elected to the House in 1990, and then the Senate in 2006. These jobs pay well, although, in 2016, he was calculated to be the 19th poorest member of Congress, with a net worth between $211,039 and $682,51.
Most of Bernie’s subsequent wealth has come from book deals and sales since he has had multiple hit books. The politician is also entitled to two pensions, with one coming from the city of Burlington and the other from the federal government.
Bernie has been subjected to scrutiny for his wealth, since he is thought to be a supporter of left-wing, democratic socialist policies.
Many opponents called hypocrisy at the fact that the senator owns three homes. Fans of Bernie retort that the pension-aged man has worked tirelessly in politics for 30 years and deserves three modest properties.