A less obvious winner was Texas Rep. Ron Paul, the former Republican presidential candidate who attracted an enthusiastic online following because of his opposition to the Iraq war, as well as his views on civil liberties and taxation.
Paul sits on no relevant committees. He represents a rural district along the Gulf Coast that's home to few Web 2.0 start-ups but to plenty of cattle ranchers and petrochemical companies. But he's had a long interest in privacy and Internet regulation; his official Web site lists his speeches on financial privacy, national ID cards, Social Security number misuse, and medical privacy spanning more than a decade.
The obstetrician-turned-presidential-contender also topped our 2006 House scorecard. "I believe strongly in protecting the Internet," Paul told us at the time. "My colleagues aren't quite as interested in the subject. That, to me, is disappointing."
