Congress full of fortunate sons — and other relatives

USA Today reports:

Politics has never been more of a family business.

In 1986, at least 24 U.S. senators and representatives were closely related to governors or other members of Congress, USA TODAY research shows.

Twenty years later, there are more than 50 — among them four sets of siblings, four widows, dozens of offspring, the wife of a former Senate majority leader and Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton, wife of a former president and governor.

No official records are kept, but Senate historian Richard Baker says the concentration of relatives is extraordinary. “Sometimes the children of public figures are kept in the shadows,” he says. “Now we're seeing this trend or pattern of all in the family.”

Rent-seeking as a family business.