Who are the most conservative congressmen in the United States? The answers might surprise you.
Absent from the top of the National Journal's annual list of the most conservative congressmen in 2011 is tea party favorite Michele Bachmann, a Republican House member from Minnesota. Tying for a top spot among the most conservative congressmen was John McCain, a Republican senator from Arizona who has long cultivated an image of maverick in his party.
The weekly magazine rated members of the House and Senate based on their votes on key economic, social, and foreign-policy issues during 2010. Five House members tied for most conservative congressmen, and eight senators each claimed the right to call themselves most conservative in their chamber.