Sen. Ted Kennedy (D-Mass.)
(CNSNews.com) – Days before the Democratic National Convention, the Barack Obama campaign accused Republican candidate John McCain of being out of touch with Americans because he was uncertain about how many homes he owned.
 
Then, the party’s first night of primetime speeches were delivered by Sen. Ted Kennedy (D-Mass.) and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.), both of whom are wealthier than McCain, according to financial disclosure reports.
 
Kennedy’s speech on Monday was preceded by video footage of him riding in his yacht with his family. Kennedy is the third wealthiest person in the Senate, according to the Center for Responsive Politics, and has a net worth between $43 million and $162 million.


House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.)
Meanwhile, Pelosi has a net worth of up to $83.3 million and is the ninth wealthiest person in the House of Representatives.
 
Michelle Obama, wife of the 2008 Democratic nominee, also spoke on convention’s opening night. The aspiring first lady stepped down in May from her job with University of Chicago Hospitals, which, according to USA Today, had paid her $273,618 a year.
 
Barack Obama earned $4 million in book royalties last year, according to his financial disclosure reports, and in 2006, the Obamas bought a home for $1.65 million in Chicago.
 
McCain, criticized last week by an Obama campaign ad for the number of homes he owns, has a net worth of up to $45 million, according to the Center for Responsive Politics, a non-partisan group that tracks money in politics. That’s more than Obama, but less than many of the featured speakers at this week’s Democratic convention in Denver.
 
The ad quotes McCain saying the fundamentals of the economy are good and proceeds, “Then again, that same day, when asked how many houses he owns, McCain lost track. He couldn’t remember. … It’s seven. Seven houses.” With a picture of the White House, the ad closed, saying, “Here’s one house America can’t afford to let John McCain move into.”


Sen. Hillary Clinton (D-N.Y.)
On Tuesday, former Virginia Gov. Mark Warner – with a net worth widely reported to be more than $200 million – delivered the keynote address. Another millionaire, Sen. Hillary Clinton of New York, also spoke in primetime that night.
 
On Wednesday, the top speakers will be Democratic vice presidential nominee Sen. Joe Biden of Delaware, who has the lowest net worth in the U.S. Senate: about $277,000, according to the Center for Responsive Politics.
 
But the other Wednesday primetime speakers include former President Bill Clinton, who along with his wife, are valued up to $51 million.
 
According to tax returns released by Hillary Clinton’s presidential campaign earlier this year, the Clintons had an income of $20.4 million in 2007 and have earned $109 million in extra income since leaving the White House in January 2001.


Sen. John Kerry (D-Mass.)
Also speaking Wednesday is 2004 Democratic nominee Sen. John Kerry of Massachusetts. He is the wealthiest member of the Senate with a net worth of up to $313.9 million.
 
Sen. Jay Rockefeller (D-W.V.) will also speak Wednesday at the convention. An heir to the John D. Rockefeller fortune, Rockefeller has a net worth of up to $127.5 million.