Republican Ann Wagner is set to face Democrat Fred Wellman for representative of Missouri’s 2nd District in the upcoming elections, and the fact that Wagner more than tripled her net worth while in Congress has become part of the spotlight during the race. This sparked outrage on social media, as multiple Missouri residents believed that the politician should not be getting richer so quickly.
As reported by St. Louis Magazine, Wellman, who filed for bankruptcy twice, is facing Ann Wagner, whose net worth increased from $6 million to $26 million since she entered Congress 13 years ago. Essentially, her net worth almost quadrupled during this time, and she revealed that she did not own or trade stocks.
Due to this discrepancy, Wellman is using Wagner’s wealth against her in the campaign, while she argued that her wealth comes from decades of work, saving, and successful careers. On the other hand, Wagner is using Wellman’s bankruptcies to accuse him of being a “tax cheater” and using them to avoid paying taxes.
Missouri Residents React to Ann Wagner’s Increasing Wealth
On Reddit’s r/Missouri, users reacted to the story. One of them said: “What’s the surprise? All these congress members go into office with low net worth in most cases, and come out multi-millionaires. Doesn’t matter if it’s Dem or Rep.” Someone replied: “There are two reps in Missouri for the democratic party. Which of them do you think tripled their wealth while in office? This isn’t normal.”
Some people also criticized the congresswoman for not doing much for the state: “Where’s Ann Wagner? Gettin’ paid.”
Others used the opportunity to complain about the Republicans elected in Missouri: “Missouri voters lost their minds seeing a half-Black man become president. Since then, they’ve been practically tripping over themselves to [vote for] the nearest political operative who validates their conspiratorial, bigoted, anti-intellectual bullshit. I have little hope for the future since their kids are even greater maladjusted dimwits.”
While most folks seemed to believe that Wagner made “too much money” in these years, someone else argued that this was not true. “Must be investing poorly. By the rule of 72, her wealth should have nearly quadrupled in 13 years,” claimed a user who used financial math to argue that her wealth made sense.
It remains to be seen who will win in Missouri’s 2nd Congressional District, but with the election approaching, questions surrounding Ann Wagner’s time in office and personal wealth are likely to remain part of the conversation.
