Growing up in rural parts of the American West, Nadja Adolf's libertarian streak developed early on.

"When you come from a countryside that can kill you," said Adolf, a Muslim convert in her late 50s, "there is a strong emphasis on individual rights, a strong emphasis on self-reliance and an emphasis on helping each other out."

That attitude is part of the reason Adolf is drawn to Ron Paul, the maverick Republican congressman from Texas who is fighting to stay alive in Republican presidential primaries.