And the Richest Candidate Is …

… Mitt Romney, whose personal fortune is between $190 million and $250 million, which might explain why he’s so eager to “reform” the tax code. The former Massachusetts governor’s millions come from his days at an investment group that financed Staples, Domino’s Pizza and the Brookstone retail stores.

No other candidate in the presidential race even comes close to Romney’s wealth, but the richest presidential candidate ever was Steve Forbes, who had more than $430 million when he ran in 1996 and 2000.

AP:

WASHINGTON (AP) — Republican Mitt Romney is expected to report financial assets between $190 million and $250 million, an amount that would likely make him the wealthiest of the 2008 presidential candidates.

Aides to the former Massachusetts governor said his assets have been held in a blind trust that he and his wife set up when he took office in 2002. The adviser who provided the estimate of his assets cautioned that the number is based on 2005 and 2006 financial activity and could amount to a bigger total once the disclosure report is filed later this year.

The adviser spoke on condition of anonymity because the totals have not been officially released. The deadline for filing financial disclosures is Tuesday but Romney on Friday obtained an extension.

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