How rich is Maryland’s senator: Chris Van Hollen’s net worth revealed

Chris Van Hollen is an American politician who has served as the U.S. Senator from Maryland since 2017. Due to his father’s career in the U.S. Foreign Service, he spent most of his childhood in South Asia and the Middle East, which is reflected in his work on foreign policy. Today, we will highlight Chris Van Hollen’s net worth and showcase his sources of income.

How rich is Chris Van Hollen?

Chris Van Hollen is an alumnus of the Kodaikanal International School in Tamil Nadu, India. He attended Middlesex School in Concord, Massachusetts, and earned a B.A. in philosophy from Swarthmore College. The senator would continue his education at Harvard University, earning a master’s in public policy. Ultimately, he earned a J.D. from Georgetown University Law Center in 1990. 

Van Hollen’s first step in his political career was working as a legislative assistant for defense and foreign policy to Senator Charles Mathias. He would also become a staff member of the U.S. Senate Committee on Foreign Relations and a legislative advisor for federal affairs to Maryland Governor William Donald Schaefer. In 1990, Van Hollen was admitted to the Maryland bar and joined a private law firm. 

He was elected to the Maryland House of Delegates in 1991, the Maryland Senate in 1995, and the U.S. House of Representatives in 2003. He was ultimately elected to the U.S. Senate in 2017 and will replace Ben Cardin as Maryland’s senior senator in 2025. 

Disclaimer: Estimating a lawmaker’s net worth is challenging because disclosure forms do not mandate exact values. Instead, lawmakers report the value of their assets and liabilities within specified ranges. While we strive to accurately estimate net worth from filings, disclosure rules have shortcomings. Personal residences, certain personal property, and federal retirement accounts are often not reported. Large assets can be listed in broad categories like “Over $1 million” or “Over $50 million,” potentially worth much more. Additionally, most Members of Congress earn $174,000 annually, but this isn’t required to be disclosed.

How did Chris Van Hollen make his money?

Chris Van Hollen entered politics as early as 1991, which has been his primary career path. However, he is an attorney by vocation, with experience working for a private law firm. Still, these two paths have yielded little financial gain, and his net worth remains negative as of June 2024. Here’s a detailed list of his sources of income:

• Political career: Chris Van Hollen became a Maryland House of Delegates member in 1991 and climbed the political ranks to become a senator in 2017. The position comes with an annual salary of $174,000;
• Law career: After getting his J.D. in 1990, Van Hollen worked for a private law firm. Furthermore, he has been a legal and foreign affairs advisor for several high-profile U.S. politicians;
• Investing: The junior Maryland senator’s only three assets are two mutual fund positions, Vanguard Wellington Admin Fund and Vanguard Wellesley Income Fund, and a savings account. All three are valued between $15,001 and $50,000. However, this is insufficient to offset his mortgage liability, estimated between $250,001 and $500,000. 

Insider trading involvement

In April 2024, Chris Van Hollen introduced the Holding Foreign Insiders Accountable Act to impose the same disclosure requirements that apply to U.S.-based companies on foreign companies traded on the American stock exchanges.

Furthermore, the Maryland senator has been vocal about closing all loopholes that allow executives to conduct insider trading for personal gain:

According to his publicly disclosed financial forms, the senator does not own or trade individual stocks.

Who is Chris Van Hollen?

Christopher Van Hollen Jr. was born in Karachi, Pakistan, on January 10, 1959. His parents were American workers for the U.S. Foreign Service and the CIA. Van Hollen spent much of his childhood in South Asia and the Middle East. He later attended Swarthmore College, the John F. Kennedy School of Government, and Georgetown University Law Center.

Before becoming a senator, Van Hollen served seven terms in the House of Representatives (2003-2017). In the House, he chaired the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee and sat as a ranking member on the Budget Committee. He has focused his efforts on education, the environment, healthcare, and gun control.

Recommended video: Senators Kennedy and Van Hollen on their new bill to block foreign executives from insider trading

As a senator, he continued advocating for progressive policies, such as improving economic opportunities, easing healthcare access, and protecting the environment. He has also leveraged his experience in the Middle East and South Asia to contribute to U.S. foreign policy. 

The bottom line

The Senator from Maryland is among the poorest U.S. representatives, owing to his lack of assets and an outstanding liability in the form of a mortgage on his home. Therefore, Chris Van Hollen’s net worth is valued between -$455,000 and –$100,000.

Disclaimer: The content on this site should not be considered investment advice. Investing is speculative. When investing, your capital is at risk.

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