This is the latest in my Former Member series, where I talk to former members of Congress—Democrats and Republicans—to get their perspective on what it was like to serve, and how things are different then vs. now.

Last week, I spoke with Bob Inglis, a former Republican Congressman from South Carolina who served in two separate stints in Congress: from 1993 to 1999, and again from 2005 to 2011.

He isn’t your typical elected Republican—he works on addressing climate change at RepublicEn.org and endorsed Kamala Harris in 2024. But he entered Congress with Newt Gingrich and still considers himself a Republican.

Give it a listen.

Topics from my conversation with Bob Inglis

Want a transcript of this conversation? Click the “Transcript” tab towards the top of this page.

* 0:00 – 2:05: Introduction, more on RepublicEn.org, and how Republicans are talking about climate change.

* 2:06 – 6:45: How climate change is already impacting people across America—housing costs, insurance markets, and more.

* 6:46 – 8:34: Serving in Congress in the ’90s, and the rise of Newt Gingrich’s Republican Party.

* 8:35 – 11:22: Rise of—and surviving in—the Tea Party.

* 11:23 – 15:48: Trump getting older, and whether Congressional Republicans really like him. (Spoiler: no, not really. But they’re afraid of losing their jobs.)

* 15:49 – 17:09: What we can learn from Billy Tarver, the unluckiest man in South Carolina.

* 17:10 – 22:06: Anything you regret from your time as a Republican in Congress?

* 22:07 – 25:09: How do you reach people whose “facts” are so disconnected from reality?

* 25:10 – 27:04: What do you miss about serving in Congress?

* 27:05 – 28:06: Can you still be a Republican at this point if you endorsed Harris?

* 28:07 – 32:14: Policy solutions for climate change, and wrap-up.

This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit bensamuels.substack.com