Notable Conservatives Earn CPAC Buzz

Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal

Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal was sworn in as governor of Louisiana on Jan. 14, 2008, the first Indian-American governor in the U.S.

A stalwart on efficient government, ethics reform and fiscal sensibility, Jindal's first two acts as governor were to enhance the state's ethics rules -- long criticized as lax at best -- and to promote changes to tax laws he said deter investment and limit business growth in the state.

A former congressman, Jindal has also served as executive director of the National Bipartisan Commission on the Future of Medicare, secretary of the Louisiana Department of Health and Hospitals, president of the University of Louisiana System and assistant secretary for the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services

Jindal was born in Baton Rouge in 1971. He graduated from Brown University and was a Rhodes Scholar in Oxford University in England. He is married and has three children.

Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin

Sarah Palin, John McCain's running mate in the 2008 presidential election, has made history twice -- as the first female Republican vice presidential candidate and youngest and first female governor of Alaska.

Since taking office, her top priorities have been resource development, education and workforce development, public health and safety and transportation and infrastructure development. She is considered a fiscal hawk, developed a climate change committee and has expanded health care for low-income seniors in her state. She also claims credit for developing a new competitive process to initiate construction of a natural gas pipeline in her state.

Governor Palin is a former chairwoman of the Interstate Oil and Gas Compact Commission and the Alaska Conservation Commission. She is chairwoman of the National Governors Association's Natural Resources Committee. She served two terms as mayor of Wasilla and two terms on the city council.

Palin was born in 1964, and graduated from the University of Idaho.

She is married and has five kids and one grandson.

South Carolina Gov. Mark Sanford

Mark Sanford was elected as South Carolina’s 115th governor in 2002 and re-elected in 2006, the third governor in modern state history to win two terms.

Sanford is focused on creating more economic opportunity by cutting taxes, reforming government structures, opening up the state's political system and becoming more competitive in the global economy.

Under Sanford’s leadership, South Carolina passed comprehensive tort reform and cut the marginal income tax rate – both firsts in state history.

Prior to being elected governor in 2002, Sanford served six years in the U.S. Congress. He worked in real estate finance and investment in New York and Charleston, S.C., before entering politics in 1994.

He graduated Furman University and the University of Virginia’s Darden School of Business. He is married and has four sons.

Republican National Committee Chairman Michael Steele

An expert on political strategy, fund-raising, PACs, and election reform, Michael Steele was elected to be the chairman of the Republican Naitonal Committee in January 2009. Prior to that he was the chairman of GOPAC

In 2003, Steele became the first African-American elected to statewide office in Maryland, which propelled him to national prominence with an appearance at the 2004 Republican National Convention.

He is a partner in the international law firm of Dewey & LeBoeuf in Washington, D.C., and worked before that as a corporate securities attorney at the international law firm of Cleary, Gottlieb, Steen & Hamilton, specializing in financial transactions for Wall Street underwriters. He also was a corporate finance counsel for the Mills Corporation and founded his own company, The Steele Group, a business and legal consulting firm.

Steele has served on a variety of boards and commissions including the Export–Import Bank Advisory Board, the U.S. Naval Academy Board of Visitors the Maryland Catholic Conference, the National Federal Election Reform Commission and the NAACP Blue Ribbon Commission on Election Reform.

He spent three years as a seminarian in the Order of St. Augustine in preparation for the priesthood, but, ultimately, chose a career in law. He graduated from Georgetown University Law Center in 1991. He is married and has two sons.

Mike Huckabee

2008 presidential candidate Mike Huckabee now hosts "Huckabee" on FOX News Channel, which airs on Saturday evenings.

Huckabee served two full terms and a partial term as governor of Arkanasa. He was elected lieutenant governor in a 1993 special election and was elected to a full four-year term in 1994. He was appointed governor in 1996 after his predecessor resigned.

Huckabee is a pastor and denominational leader. He became the youngest president ever of the Arkansas Baptist State Convention. Huckabee also worked in Christian broadcasting.

Huckabee graduated Ouachita Baptist University and has two honorary doctoral degrees.

Huckabee is recognized as a national leader, having been honored by several renowned publications and organizations for his numerous accomplishments. He has written four books, plays bass guitar and runs marathons. He is married and has three adult children.