Richard Blumenthal
DemocratU.S. Senator, CT| Age | 80 (b. 1946-02-13) |
| Gender | Male |
| In office since | 2011-01-05 (~15 yrs) |
| Race / ethnicity | White (Ashkenazi Jewish) |
| Religion | Jewish |
| Education | BA magna cum laude in Government, Harvard College, 1967; attended Trinity College, Cambridge (Fiske Fellowship), 1967-1968; JD, Yale Law School, 1973 (Editor-in-Chief, Yale Law Journal) |
| Prior occupation | Attorney; law clerk to Judge Jon O. Newman (2nd Circuit) and Justice Harry Blackmun (U.S. Supreme Court); administrative assistant to Senator Abraham Ribicoff; U.S. Attorney for the District of Connecticut (1977-1981); Connecticut Attorney General (1991-2010) |
| Military service | Yes: United States Marine Corps Reserve (Sergeant) |
| Birthplace | Brooklyn, New York |
| Languages | English |
| Marital status | married — Cynthia Malkin Blumenthal |
| Children | 4 |
| Residence | Greenwich, Connecticut |
| Notable relatives | Father-in-law Peter L. Malkin (real estate mogul, chairman emeritus of Empire State Realty Trust); son Matt Blumenthal (Connecticut state legislator); brother David Blumenthal (physician, president of The Commonwealth Fund) |
Pending research: openly lgbtq.
Career & politics
| First elected | 1984 |
| Previous offices | Connecticut House of Representatives, 145th District (1984-1987) · Connecticut State Senate, 27th District (1987-1990) · U.S. Attorney, District of Connecticut (1977-1981) · Connecticut Attorney General (1991-2010) |
| Committees | Senate Armed Services Committee · Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs (Ranking Member, Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations) · Senate Judiciary Committee · Senate Veterans' Affairs Committee (Ranking Member) · Senate Special Committee on Aging |
| Caucuses | Senate Caucus to End Human Trafficking · Senate Fuel Cell and Hydrogen Energy Caucus · Defending Social Security Caucus · Senate National Guard Caucus · Congressional Bicameral High-Speed and Intercity Passenger Rail Caucus · Bicameral Congressional Arthritis Caucus · Congressional General Aviation Caucus · Senate Oceans Caucus · Senate Law Enforcement Caucus · Congressional Veterans' Jobs Caucus · Congressional Fire Services Caucus · Congressional Coalition on Adoption · Senate Cultural Caucus · Senate Caucus on International Narcotics Control · Senate Ukraine Caucus · Black Maternal Health Caucus |
| Leadership | Ranking Member, Senate Veterans' Affairs Committee · Ranking Member, Senate Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations |
| Ideology | Strongly liberal; ranked among most liberal senators by National Journal (voted liberal position ~90.7% of the time as of 2013). GovTrack rates him at the far left of the Senate ideological spectrum. |
| Signature legislation | Elder Abuse Prevention and Prosecution Act of 2017 (P.L. 115-70), signed Oct. 18, 2017 · Reese's Law (2022) – button battery child safety standards, signed Aug. 16, 2022 · Big Cat Public Safety Act (P.L. 117-243), signed Dec. 20, 2022 – bans private ownership of big cats · Jeff Miller and Richard Blumenthal Veterans Health Care and Benefits Improvement Act of 2016 (P.L. 114-315) |
Financial
Net worth: disclosed $81,370,000–$132,000,000 (2023) · estimate
| Peter L. Malkin Family 9 LLC | private_equity · $50,000,000–$100,000,000 · 2023 |
| Empire State Realty Trust partnerships | real_estate · $1,000,000 · 2023 |
| Rockefeller Cash and Equivalents – SSGA Institutional Government Money Market Fund | fund · $1,000,000–$5,000,000 · 2023 |
| Rockefeller Libra Fund LP | fund · $1,000,000–$5,000,000 · 2023 |
| Malkin Capital Fund LP | fund · $4,550,005–$4,550,005 · 2017 |
| Rockefeller Intermediate Tax Exempt Nation Bond | fund · $3,000,000–$3,000,000 · 2017 |
| Cynthia Malkin Blumenthal 3.2% ownership stake in family company | business_owned · $1,000,000 · 2023 |
Top donors: Lawyers/Law Firms (aggregate industry) ($1,317,137 (2019-2024 cycle))
Top industries: Lawyers/Law Firms · Real Estate · Securities & Investment · Health Professionals · Education
Scandals & crimes ledger
No recorded incidents. Under the adjudicated-only methodology, an entry appears only when a court or official body has formally acted and the record is cited.