Rand Paul (R-Ky.)

In doing so, Paul surprised the Republican establishment in the Bluegrass State, defying Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) and his ally in the 2010 Kentucky Senate primary, Secretary of State Trey Grayson (R). Instead of using libertarian views as his soapbox, Paul rode the wave of tea-party furor, with a little help from his father's network, to beat Greyson by more than 20 points.

A doctor who has practiced ophthalmology for 17 years, Paul opposes President Obama's health-care reform enacted in March 2010. He wants to lower taxes while also cutting the budget deficit, and believes in congressional term limits.

And Paul remained true to his campaign words once arriving in Washington, joining the Senate Tea Party Caucus and refusing to compromise on slashing federal spending by proposing a $500 billion budget cut over one year right out of the box.

In His Own Words

But in the end, Paul said that compromise should not be be an end in itself. "As long as I sit at Henry Clay's desk, I will remember his lifelong desire to forge agreement, but I will also keep close to my heart the principled stand of his cousin, Cassius Clay, who refused to forsake the life of any human, simply to find agreement."

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