Famous Politicians

Who Struggled with Debt

By Adam Kidan

Thomas !Jefferson

• Accrued somewhere between $1 and $2 million in debt during his lifetime!

• His fame kept creditors away while he was alive, but his family had to sell much of his property to pay off his debts after death

George McGovern

• Amassed around $113,000 in campaign debt in 1984!

• Opened a hotel four years later that shuttered and fell into bankruptcy in less than two years

Linda McMahon

• Racked up about $1 million in debt in 1976!

• Later made up for it and had a net worth of $376 million when she ran for US Senate from Connecticut in 2010

Abraham Lincoln

• Owned a general store early in life that amassed $1,000 in debt!

• Was brought to court and took several years to pay back what he owed

Marco !Rubio

• Rubio has long struggled with debt for everything from education to mortgages!

• His money problems ended after an $800,000 book deal in 2012, but he then decided to spend $80,000 on a luxury speedboat!

• While Mitt Romney’s campaign was vetting Rubio as a possible running mate, his careless decisions made them reconsider