James M. Inhofe (R-Okla.)

Why He Matters

In his three terms serving Oklahoma in the Senate, Inhofe has established a reputation as one of the Senate's most conservative members. More recently, he has gained national prominence as the self-dubbed "most outspoken critic of man-made global warming alarmism in the United States Senate."

Inhofe has become known as a champion for conservative social causes and fierce critic of what he calls excessive government spending. Despite his staunchly conservative stances, he has sometimes staked out lone positions on hot-button issues, such as when he opposed the Bush administration's 2008 financial bailout legislation.

Read more