Nearly one year after Rep. Ron Paul of Texas said he would leave Congress at the end of his 12th term, his successor as the Federal Reserve‘s chief critic has yet to emerge on Capitol Hill.

Bloomberg News

Rep. Ron Paul (R., Texas)

The 76-year-old lawmaker and frequent GOP presidential candidate has spawned a legion of admirers in Congress, many of whom echo his obstreperous rhetoric and libertarian-leaning positions. But none have managed to meld Mr. Paul’s cheerfully contrarian temperament with his hard-line stance on abolishing the U.S. central bank.

“Ron Paul is unique. He is special. And he can’t be replaced,” said Rep. Patrick McHenry (R., N.C.), a member of the House Financial Services Committee panel on domestic monetary policy chaired by Mr. Paul.