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On the campaign trail, Sen. Cory Booker often names-drops his Newark, N.J., neighborhood, noting that he "lives in a community that is below the poverty line." Pete Buttigieg, now mayor of South Bend where he grew up, had all his "middle-class lifestyle, in a middle-class neighborhood." Sen. Elizabeth Warren, a Boston-area transplant, claims family roots in the Oklahoma plains.
As Democratic candidates, they are more likely than others to be disadvantaged, and some of them are emphasizing the modesty of their experience of a middle-of-the-country relationship.
The logic behind the message is clear, given the shortage of affordable housing in many parts of the country.
All White House hopefuls can be expected to make an appeal to voters living paycheck-to-paycheck. But some candidates' claims of living in proximity to middle class struggles rings truer than others. Here, we'll look at candidate residences, a rough proxy for wealth, with special emphasis on the highest polls, and members of the U.S. Senate.
The accessibility of public records varies from place to place. Where available, we 've been relying on public records for candidates that have been confirmed by their campaigns. We have noted instances where we have noted instances where we are not publishing exact addresses.
Joe Biden
Joe Biden Frequently Asked About his Middle Class Bonafides on the stump – even referring to himself at times as "Middle Class Joe." Before serving as Barack Obama's Vice President, Biden spent 35 years in the Senate where, he noted, "I used to be listed as poor in Congress."
Biden's campaign did not respond when we asked them to describe the location of Biden's residences.
Washington Post profile found that Biden's wealth increased by millions since the Obama administration left office, a result of book deals and speaking fees that fetch as much as $ 200,000 per appearance.
Biden owns two homes in Delaware, including his primary residence in Wilmington, which the Post describes as a 7,000-square-foot lakeside home. In 2017, Biden purchased a six-bedroom home in Rehoboth Beach, Del. The Post reported that Biden is also currently about 12,000-square-foot, five-bedroom home outside Washington in McLean, Va., Which the real estate website Zillow.com estimates to charge a monthly rent of $ 20,000.
Elizabeth Warren
But she campaigns as champion of America's economically disadvantaged, Sen. Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts is worth $ 7.8 million in 2015, according to the most recent data from the Open Secrets.
But some claims about Warren's wealth have an overshot mark. In 2014, we debunked even that falsely claimed she "lives in a $ 5.4 million mansion." In truth, her Cambridge, Mass., Built in 1890 and located less than two miles north of the Charles River, was worth less than half of the time of our fact-check; the city now stands at $ 2.7 million. Warren and her husband, Bruce Mann, bought the 3,700-square foot Victorian clapboard home in 1995 for $ 447,000.
In 2013, Warren purchased a condo in Washington, DC's Penn Quarter neighborhood for $ 740,000, according to the Washington Post.
Bernie Sanders
Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., Made headlines this year when he returns to the world he has entered the millionaire class he so often criticizes. Sanders and his wife, Jane O'Meara Sanders, reported more than $ 2.7 million in income since 2016, most of which was earned from his book "Our Revolution."
Following Sanders's Insurgency 2016 presidential campaign, the self-described democratic socialist spent nearly $ 600,000 on Lake Champlain, according to the Vermont Seven Days magazine, which described the Sanders acquisition as third home.
His campaign did not respond when we asked them to describe Sanders' residences.
Public records link Sanders to a Burlington, Vt., Home, reportedly his primary residence, which the City of Burlington values around $ 322,000. Sanders also bought a row house on Capitol Hill in 2007, which the District assesses to be worth $ 595,000.
Kamala Harris
In a sharp exchange with Biden during the first Democratic primary debate, Sen. Kamala Harris, D-Calif., Berkeley hills tribes Berkeley hills.
Those humble beginnings stand in stark contrast to her current residence, reportedly in the Brentwood posh section of Los Angeles. Harris moved into the home of the married couple, attorney Douglas Emhoff.
Harris's campaign declined to describe her residences, or even confirm her zip code.
A public records search linked to Los Angeles County at just over $ 3 million. As is often the case, the expected resale value is higher.
The couple is also connected to an additional residence in Washington's West End neighborhood, according to Washingtonian.
Pete Buttigieg
Amongst the Democratic field, Pete Buttigieg ranks last on Forbes 'list of candidates' net worth – something the plainspoken Hoosier has boasted about on the campaign trail.
"I actually live a middle-class lifestyle," Buttigieg told CNBC earlier this year, "in a middle-class neighborhood, in the American Midwest."
His campaign in South Bend, Buttigieg's hometown of around 100,000 people where he has served as mayor since 2012.
Buttigieg and husband Chasten's 2,480-square-foot, neoclassical four-bedroom home is valued on Zillow at $ 241,819. Buttigieg bought the property 10 years ago for $ 125,000. Buttigieg told Vogue his monthly mortgage payment is around $ 450.
Cory Booker
Cory Booker's campaign announces that he's "going to a low-income, inner-city community" – a claim he's repeated while campaigning.
His campaign gave us the Booker's address, and the economic status of his neighborhood checks out. The median household income is about $ 15,000, and nearly 45% of residents live in poverty. (The poverty line for a family is $ 25,750, according to the Department of Health and Human Services.)
In previous elections, Booker has faced questions about whether he "really" lives in Newark. A Politico profile from this year, "Is Cory Booker for Real?" would seem to lay the questions to rest.
Booker has lived in the poor neighborhood for two decades, residing for an eight-year stretch on the 16th floor of Brick Towers, which Politico described as a "dilapidated and dangerous housing project in inner-city Newark," which "often" lacked heat, hot water and elevator service. "
In 2011, back when he was mayor of Newark, Booker purchased a townhouse in the same neighborhood for $ 171,000. It is now valued at $ 276,500. Booker also has a base apartment in Washington, according to New York Magazine.
Amy Klobuchar
Sen. Amy Klobuchar, D-Minn., Grew up in the Minneapolis area, and she continued to reside in the Twin Cities when not in Washington.
She and her husband, attorney John Bessler, owns a 2,200-square-foot townhouse in the Marcy-Holmes neighborhood of Minneapolis, near the University of Minnesota. The county assessor values the property at $ 302,500. The couple purchased their home in 1996 for $ 168,900.
The median household income in Klobuchar's neighborhood is $ 36,000, according to U.S. Census data.
Kirsten Gillibrand
Gillibrand has focused attention on her small-town roots.
"I'm really enjoying being in a rural place." I'm growing in a rural place, "she told the New York Times. "I represented rural place for Congress."
Rather than locate her campaign headquarters in New York City, she opted instead for Troy, N.Y., her primary residence, according to public records. Gillibrand and her husband, Jonathan, bought their five-bedroom, 3,400-square-foot house in 2011 for $ 335,000.
The median household income in Gillibrand's neighborhood is around $ 94,000.
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