US:Running for US president is a pursuit for the wealthy, according to personal financial disclosure forms released this week which show that at least 10 of the major party candidates are millionaires and, collectively, the field of contenders is worth at least a quarter of a billion dollars.
The candidates have amassed their fortunes in a variety of fashions. Senator Barack Obama (Democrat) wrote his way to millionaire status with a best-selling memoir. Former New York Republican mayor Rudi Giuliani raked in $11 million by trotting the globe last year making speeches.
Senator John McCain (Republican) married into money - his wife is the millionaire daughter of an Arizona beer magnate. Former Massachusetts Republican governor Mitt Romney became the richest of the 2008 candidates by wheeling and dealing in private equity funds which have bought and sold interests in more than 180 companies.
And Democrat John Edwards, a trial lawyer who earned his initial fortune by defending the ill and injured, made $479,000 last year in salary and more than $7.5 million from investments.
Each candidate's wealth has a story behind it, although one candidate whose fortune has been made largely outside the public eye is Giuliani, who left the mayor's office with modest holdings for a man with worldwide fame; $1.2 million to $1.8 million in personal assets, according to his disclosure forms from that period.
Since that time, his empire has grown to include a consulting firm which earned him $4.1 million last year, a partnership in the law firm Bracewell & Giuliani which guarantees him $1 million per year, book royalties and speaking fees which grossed more than $11 million, and a dizzying array of stock holdings and business interests which, combined, are worth $20 million to $70 million.
Giuliani also has a stake in a biohazard firm which responds to terrorist attacks, an outfitter which markets canteens to the military and a private equity fund.
Edwards also profited on the speaking circuit, but not as handsomely - his fees typically ranged from $30,000 to $40,000 per appearance. Edwards's net worth is $22 million to $62 million, according to his report. His campaign estimated the total at $29.5 million and it has said that he gave $350,000 to charity last year.
Other candidates reporting: New Mexico Democratic governor Bill Richardson - between $3.5 million and $10.1 million; Senator Sam Brownback, Republican - $3.3 million to $8.7 million; Senator Christopher Dodd, Democrat - $1.5 million to $3.5 million; Republican Duncan Hunter - $1 million to $2.4 million; Republican Tom Tancredo - $545,000 to $1.2 million; Obama - $500,000 to $1.1 million; former Arkansas Republican governor Mike Huckabee - $350,000 to $900,000; and Senator Joe Biden, Democrat - $62,000 to $428,000.
Romney was one of five candidates who received a 45-day extension from the Federal Election Commission, but his campaign estimated his personal assets at $190 million to $250 million. McCain and Hillary Rodham Clinton also received extensions.
Historians note that, from Theodore Roosevelt to John F Kennedy to George W Bush, there is a long record of exceedingly wealthy commanders-in-chief. "Celebrity, name recognition, fame, money" - they all play into the success of campaigns, said historian Robert Dallek.