According to a post earlier today on Publicola, Democratic gubernatorial candidate Jay Inslee is a "rich guy," contrary to the blue collar image he gives in his political ads. "Inslee may be worth $1.5 million or higher," Josh writes, based on his own analysis of Inslee's financial disclosure forms, plus some Zillow-aided sleuthing.

Which is curious, because that's not what Josh reported late last year, citing a study from the Center for Responsive Politics that listed Inslee as one of the poorest members of Washington's congressional delegation, with a net worth of only $361,000. You can see Inslee's 2010 profile here, which estimates Inslee was worth between $106,023 to $541,000, way below the congressional average. And it's hard to imagine much has changed in that time.

The PDC doesn't post candidates' F1 disclosure form online, so I'm not sure where Josh is getting his new $1.5 million net worth estimate. But I'm guessing he's assuming the high end of the rather broad asset ranges provided, while failing to account for liabilities. For example, Zillow says I own a $425,000 house! I'm rich! But, you know, the bank owns a big chunk of it, so not really. No knock intended, but I think Josh should have trusted his initial instincts and stuck with OpenSecret's expert analysis rather than attempting extrapolate on his own.

And finally, even if Inslee's net worth edged toward the million dollar range, um, for a 61-year-old middle class married man, that's not rich. That's a prudent retirement account, easily socked away in savings and investments over the course of a 40-year career. It may seem like a lot of money to an impoverished reporter like Josh, but the days when a million dollars in assets classified you as a "millionaire" have long since passed.