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$15 minimum wage proposal: Who is richest among 8 Democrats to reject bill? A look at their shocking net worths

It is important to note that the Senators voted against adding the bill to the Covid-19 relief package, and not the idea of a $15 minimum wage

Eight Democratic senators have defected from the party line to vote against raising the minimum wage to $15 in the Covid-19 relief package. The vote was forced by a group of progressive Senators lead by Bernie Sanders after the Senate Parliamentarian ruled that it could not be a part of the package. If the vote passed the Senate, Democrats would have been able to pass the wage increase in the relief bill, through a process known as budget reconciliation. The final vote was 42-58, in an open vote held on Friday, March 5. 

The Democratic Senators who voted against the measure are - Joe Manchin of West Virginia, Jon Tester of Montana, Jeanne Shaheen of New Hampshire, Kyrsten Sinema of Arizona, and Maggie Hassan of New Hampshire voted against proceeding, Chris Coons and Tom Carper of Delaware. Angus King, an independent from Maine also voted against. A video of Senator Sinema, an Arizona Democrat, dramatically indicating her "no" vote on a measure to raise the federal minimum wage to $15 incensed progressives on Friday.

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It is important to note that the Senators voted against adding the bill to the Covid-19 relief package, and not the idea of a $15 minimum wage. If the Democrats want to pass that, they will now have to introduce a standalone bill, which could face a similar fate unless Republicans get behind it. Any standalone bill will require 60 votes to pass, which seems impossible given the Republicans united opposition to the matter. 

Most notably, Delaware Senators Coons and Carper voted against the measure. Democrats from Biden's home state, including the President himself, are pushing for a $15 minimum wage, making it surprising that Coons and Carper would vote against. Both senators released statements after the vote but did not explain why they voted against. As Delaware is a firmly Democratic state, and both Senators are close to Biden, their vote will be concerning for Senate Democrats. The party cannot afford to have differentiating views in the Senate, where it has a slim majority.

Who are the 8 Democrats? A look at their net worths

Shortly after the vote was reported, Ken Klippenstein - a reporter at The Intercept - tweeted the net worth of the eight Senators. Compiled by the Centre for Responsive Politics, seven of the eight are worth a few million each. Only Kyrsten Sinema's net worth was not available. The tweet has since gone viral, with over 13k retweets and 38k likes. 

Chris Coons

The Delaware Senator, who reportedly worth $10.3 million, is a graduate of Yale. Before politics, he worked as an in-house counsel and even clerked for a judge on the third circuit. Coons also worked as a relief worker in Kenya and New York, and with several other non-profits.

Angus King

The former Governor of Maine is only one of the two independents in the Senate, the other being Sanders. He is also a Fellow at Harvard's Institute of Politics, and a 'distinguished lecturer' at Bowdoin College in Maine. 

Joe Manchin

The moderate Democrat has strong ties to business, with his family owning a carpet business and his daughter Heather Manchin Bresch serving as the CEO of Dutch pharmaceutical giant Mylan. 

Tom Carper

A former Naval Flight Officer in the US Navy, Carper was deployed in the Vietnam war. He is known for taking the Amtrak from his home in Wilmington to the Capitol, rather than live in Washington. He also served as Delaware's State Treasurer. 

Jeanne Shaheen

New Hampshire's first female Governor and Senator is a former teacher and owned used jewelry business. In 2005, she was also named Director of Harvard's Institute of Politics. Shaheen is a 12th-generation descendant of the prominent Native American Pocahontas.

Jon Tester

Having worked as a music teacher and farmer, Tester first entered politics in 1998. He and his wife continue to operate the farm. Tester is known for his strong support for rural communities, including for issues like broadband connectivity, conservation of resources and mental health of farmers. 

Maggie Hassan

The graduate of Brown University worked as an attorney and counsel before entering politics. She also served as the Governor of New Hampshire. Her father Robert Wood served in the Lyndon Johnson administration, and her brother Frank Wood is a noted actor who has appeared on film, TV and stage. 

Krysten Sinema

Known for her mysterious private life, Sinema famously lived at an abandoned gas station as a child. She was a social worker who ran for Senate after her school district's budget was set to be chopped. She is also the first openly bisexual member of Congress

Twitter divided over vote as demand for Covid-19 relief spikes

Many took to Twitter to vent their fury at the information, with one person saying "so noble of these wholly-owned Senators to guard against “excessive” income for the poor and vulnerable". Another sarcastic tweet said "Ahhhh isn't that refreshing? Millionaires refusing to increase the minimum wage to 15 dollars an hour when it would be too expensive."

Another user said "Good thing we don't allow socialism or else we'd have.......wait a second......" and shared a cartoon. But not everyone was furious. A few people seemed pleased that the Democrats voted against the bill. As one user explained, "Doubling the minimum wage will result in massive layoffs and unemployment for the lowest income group, as well as decreased living standards due to inflation for everyone who keeps their jobs. It's a great way to ruin virtually all Americans' lives. These 8 Dems saved the US." Another noted that the vote would allow the COVID relief bill to pass the Senate, tweeting "This is disingenuous. The minimum-wage provision could have torpedoed the stimulus bill for at least a couple of reasons. Rejecting the amendment, which had no chance of success in this context, keeps the larger bill alive." "The $15 minimum wage does not belong in the COVID bill. I’ll say it again. The $15 minimum wage does not belong in the COVID bill. It will get passed, it just doesn’t belong in there. Get over it, give Democrats time to pass it on its own, or with something else related" another said.