Bob Inglis

For other uses, see Robert Inglis.

Bob Inglis
Official portrait, 2008
Member of the U.S.HouseofRepresentatives from South Carolina's 4th district
In office January 3, 2005 –January 3, 2011

South Carolina's 4th congressional district, 1992: ^[22]

• Bob Inglis, Republican – 99,879 (50.3%)
• Elizabeth J. Patterson, Democrat – 94,182 (47.5%)
• Jo Jorgensen, Libertarian – 4,286 (2.2%)
• Write-in candidates – 63 (nil)

South Carolina's 4th congressional district, 1994: ^[23]

• Bob Inglis, Republican – 109,626 (73.5%)
• Jerry L. Fowler, Democrat – 39,396 (26.1%)
• Write-in candidates – 154 (0.1%)

South Carolina's 4th congressional district, 1996: ^[24]

• Bob Inglis, Republican – 138,165 (70.9%)
• Darrell E. Curry, Democrat – 54,126 (27.8%)
• C. Faye Walters, Natural Law – 2,501 (1.3%)

United States Senate election in South Carolina, 1998 – Republican primary: ^[25]

• Bob Inglis – 115,029 (74.6%)
• Stephen Brown – 33,530 (21.8%)
• Elton Legrand – 5,634 (3.7%)

United States Senate election in South Carolina, 1998: ^[26]

• Ernest Hollings , Democrat – 563,377 (52.7%)
• Bob Inglis, Republican – 488,238 (45.7%)
• Richard T. Quillian, Libertarian – 16,991 (1.6%)
• Write-in candidates – 457 (nil)

South Carolina's 4th congressional district, 2004: ^[27]

• Bob Inglis, Republican – 188,795 (69.8%)
• Brandon P. Brown, Democrat – 78,376 (29.0%)
• C. Faye Walters, Green – 3,273 (1.2%)
• Write-in candidates – 150 (0.1%)

South Carolina's 4th congressional district, 2006: ^[28]

• Bob Inglis, Republican – 115,553 (64.2%)
• William Griff Griffith, Democrat – 57,490 (32.0%)
• John Cobin, Libertarian – 4,467 (2.5%)
• C. Faye Walters, Green – 2,336 (1.3%)
• Write-in candidates – 85 (0.1%)

South Carolina's 4th congressional district, 2008 – Republican primary: ^[29]

• Bob Inglis – 37,571 (67.0%)
• Charles Jeter – 18,545 (33.1%)

South Carolina's 4th congressional district, 2008: ^[30]

• Bob Inglis, Republican – 184,440 (60.1%)
• Paul Corden, Democrat – 113,291 (36.9%)
• C. Faye Walters, Green – 7,332 (2.4%)
• Write-in candidates – 1,865 (0.6%)

South Carolina's 4th congressional district, 2010 – Republican primary: ^[31]

• Trey Gowdy – 34,103 (39.2%)
• Bob Inglis – 23,877 (27.5%)
• Jim Lee – 11,854 (13.6%)
• David Thomas – 11,073 (12.7%)
• Christina Jeffrey – 6,041 (7.0%)

South Carolina's 4th congressional district, 2010 – Republican primary runoff: ^[32]

• Trey Gowdy – 54,412 (70.7%)
• Bob Inglis – 22,590 (29.3%)

Awards and honors

Inglis was the recipient of the 2015 Profile in Courage Award from the John F. Kennedy Library Foundation "for the courage he demonstrated when reversing his position on climate change after extensive briefings with scientists, and discussions with his children, about the impact of atmospheric warming on our future." ^[33] His embrace of the scientific evidence of climate change and advocacy for a carbon tax drew intense criticism from fellow Republicans, and Inglis was defeated in the June 2010 Republican primary. He "figures prominently" ^[34] in the 2014 Merchants of Doubt documentary as an interviewee exposing the methods of science deniers.

On October 2, 2023, Inglis wrote a strong Op-Ed in the New York Times urging his fellow Republicans to consider the long range consequences of their votes, and arguing that when they "grow up" and look back on their careers they will ask themselves "Was I an agent of chaos in a house divided, or did I work to bring America together, healing rifts and bridging divides?" ^[35]

Personal life

Inglis and his wife Mary Anne have five grown children, and they live on a small farm near Travelers Rest, north of Greenville. He is a member of St. John in the Wilderness, an Episcopal congregation in Flat Rock, NC.

Opposition to Donald Trump

In October 2016, Inglis was one of thirty GOP ex-lawmakers to sign a public letter condemning Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump. ^{[36] [37]} He had previously said, in a May 2016 interview with Chris Hayes, that "under no circumstances" could he vote for Trump. ^{[38] [39]} Commenting on Trump's campaign after the election, Inglis said: "It's one thing to represent people and give a voice to their fears. It is quite another to amplify those fears—that is surely the worst possible kind of leadership. It's demagoguery. The real sadness for me is that we knew it, and yet we voted for it. In a very real sense, the whole country has lost this election." ^[40]

Six months later, after House Speaker Paul Ryan accused Democrats of partisan bias in calling for Trump's impeachment over the firing of FBI director James Comey, then investigating possible links between Trump's campaign and Russia, Inglis chastised Ryan on Twitter, saying, "you know this isn't true" since Republicans would have had, in his opinion, ample grounds for considering impeachment if a Democratic president had done the things Trump was accused of. ^[41] Reminded that he had, as a member of the House Judiciary Committee, voted to impeach President Bill Clinton in 1998, he said that was "for matters less serious than the ones before us now." ^[42]

In 2024, Inglis endorsed Kamala Harris over Trump in the presidential election. According to him, if Harris wins, it would be great for the Republican Party, restoring its rationality to be the credible free enterprise, small government party again ^[43]

References

1. Ferguson, Mike (December 8, 2015). "Former GOP congressman touts market solutions to climate change". Billings Gazette. Billings, Montana. Retrieved December 8, 2015.
2. "inglis". Archived from the original on February 1, 2016. Retrieved March 5, 2012.
3. "Bob Inglis - U.S. Congress Votes Database". Washington Post. Archived from the original on September 14, 2015. Retrieved August 28, 2015.
4. Zeke J Miller. "300 Republicans Call on Supreme Court to Recognize Gay Marriage". Time .
5. Bell, Rudolph (May 27, 2010). "Four challengers go after Bob Inglis in 4th District primary". The Greenville News . Retrieved June 18, 2010.^{[ dead link ‍]}
6. Bell, Rudolph; Szobody, Ben (June 9, 2010). "Trey Gowdy led Bob Inglis in 4th District, but not enough to avoid runoff". The Greenville News . Retrieved June 9, 2010.^{[ dead link ‍]}
7. Kornacki, Steve (January 5, 2011) The Republicans who should fear the Tea Party the most Archived January 7, 2011, at the Wayback Machine , Salon.com
8. McCain, Robert Stacy (June 23, 2010) Good-Bye, 'Bailout Bob' Inglis Archived December 31, 2010, at the Wayback Machine , The American Spectator
9. Beutler, Brian (June 9, 2010). "Incumbent Republican Inglis Down Big Heading Into Runoff". Talking Points Memo . Retrieved June 9, 2010.
10. McArdle, John (June 22, 2010). "Gowdy Crushes Inglis in S.C. Runoff". CQ Politics . Archived from the original on June 28, 2010.
11. Corn, David (August 3, 2010). "Confessions of a Tea Party Casualty". Mother Jones. Retrieved August 3, 2010.
12. Kraushaar, Josh (April 7, 2009). "Inglis faces fight from the right". Politico.com . Retrieved April 14, 2009.
13. "Incumbent Inglis faces backlash". The State. May 26, 2010. Retrieved June 1, 2010.^{[ dead link ‍]}
14. "NRA-PVF Endorses U.S. Rep. Bob Inglis for Re-election in South Carolina's 4th Congressional District Republican Primary". NRA-PVF. April 26, 2010. Archived from the original on August 12, 2014. Retrieved February 29, 2024.
15. "Facts: Scientific Consensus". Global Climate Change: Vital Signs of the Planet. NASA.
16. "Bloomberg Business". Bloomberg.com. Archived from the original on October 5, 2011.
17. "Bill Summary & Status - 109th Congress (2005 - 2006) - H.R.4411 - THOMAS (Library of Congress)". Archived from the original on November 25, 2008. Retrieved August 7, 2008.
18. "Bill Summary & Status - 109th Congress (2005 - 2006) - H.R.4777 - THOMAS (Library of Congress)". Archived from the original on October 18, 2014. Retrieved August 7, 2008.
19. Inglis, Bob; Arthur B. Laffer (December 27, 2008). "An Emissions Plan Conservatives Could Warm To". The New York Times . Retrieved December 29, 2008.
20. Nichols, Hans; Stern, Christopher (October 30, 2007). "Romney Shouldn't Equate Mormons, Christians, Evangelicals Say". Bloomberg News . Retrieved January 30, 2008.
21. "Final Vote Results For Roll Call 699 (H RES 744)". U.S. House of Representatives. September 15, 2009. Retrieved June 18, 2010.
22. Anderson, Donald K. (May 31, 1993). "Statistics of the presidential and congressional election of November 3, 1992". Clerk of the United States House of Representatives . Retrieved October 31, 2010.
23. Carle, Robin H. (May 12, 1995). "Statistics of the congressional election of November 8, 1994". Clerk of the United States House of Representatives . Retrieved October 31, 2010.
24. Carle, Robin H. (July 23, 1997). "Statistics of the presidential and congressional election of November 5, 1996". Clerk of the United States House of Representatives . Retrieved October 31, 2010.
25. "June 9, 1998 state wide Republican primary official results". South Carolina State Election Commission. Archived from the original on November 3, 2010. Retrieved October 31, 2010.
26. Trandahl, Jeff (January 3, 1999). "Statistics of the congressional election of November 3, 1998". Clerk of the United States House of Representatives . Retrieved October 31, 2010.
27. Trandahl, Jeff (June 7, 2005). "Statistics of the presidential and congressional election of November 2, 2004". Clerk of the United States House of Representatives . Retrieved October 31, 2010.
28. Miller, Lorraine C. (September 21, 2007). "Statistics of the congressional election of November 7, 2006". Clerk of the United States House of Representatives . Retrieved October 31, 2010.
29. "2008 Republican and Democratic Primary". South Carolina State Election Commission. Retrieved October 31, 2010.
30. Miller, Lorraine C. (July 10, 2009). "Statistics of the presidential and congressional elections of November 4, 2008". Clerk of the United States House of Representatives . Retrieved October 31, 2010.
31. "2010 Republican and Democratic Primary". South Carolina State Election Commission. Retrieved October 31, 2010.
32. "Runoff – 2010 Republican and Democratic Primary". South Carolina State Election Commission. Retrieved October 31, 2010.
33. John F. Kennedy Presidential Library and Museum,
34. Althoff, Eric (March 24, 2015). "Bob Inglis breaks from Republican Party, advocates action to fight climate change". The Washington Times . Retrieved December 14, 2020.
35. "My Fellow Republicans: It's Time to Grow Up." Guest Essay in the New York Times, October 2, 2023
36. Bash, Dana; Tal, Kopan (October 6, 2016). "30 Former GOP Lawmakers Sign Anti-Trump Letter". CNN. Retrieved October 10, 2016.
37. Caldwell, Leigh Ann (October 6, 2016). "Thirty Former GOP Congressmen Come Out Against Trump". NBC News. Retrieved October 23, 2016.
38. Coyne, Amanda (May 10, 2016). "Ex-Rep. Inglis 'under no circumstances' voting for Trump". Greenville Online. Retrieved October 23, 2016.
39. "Bob Inglis Live on MSNBC's "All In"". YouTube. RepublicEn Videos. May 9, 2016. Archived from the original on December 22, 2021. Retrieved October 23, 2016.
40. Harkinson, Josh. "White Nationalists See Trump As Their Troll in Chief. Is He With Them?". Mother Jones. Retrieved December 14, 2020.
41. Hensch, Mark (June 9, 2017). "Ex-GOP rep: Ryan's impeachment claim about Trump 'isn't true'". The Hill . Retrieved June 13, 2017.
42. Spence, Sam (June 9, 2017). "S.C. congressman driven out by tea party says he voted to impeach Clinton for less serious issues than those facing Trump". Charleston City Paper . Archived from the original on June 9, 2017. Retrieved June 13, 2017.
43. Jack O'Toole (September 17, 2024). "Inglis endorses Harris, calling Trump 'a clear and present danger'". Charleston City Paper . Retrieved November 17, 2024.

External links

• "Bob Inglis for U.S. Congress". Archived from the original on February 3, 2010. Retrieved 2007-03-27.official campaign site
• Biography at the Biographical Directory of the United States Congress
• Financial information (federal office) at the Federal Election Commission
• Profile at Vote Smart
• Appearances on C-SPAN

U.S. House of Representatives
Preceded by Liz Patterson	Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from South Carolina's 4th congressional district 1993–1999	Succeeded by Jim DeMint
Preceded by Jim DeMint	Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from South Carolina's 4th congressional district 2005–2011	Succeeded by Trey Gowdy
Party political offices
Preceded by Thomas F. Hartnett	Republican nominee for U.S. Senator from South Carolina (Class 3) 1998	Succeeded by Jim DeMint
U.S. order of precedence (ceremonial)
Preceded by Niki Tsongas as Former US Representative	Order of precedence of the United States as Former US Representative	Succeeded by Tom Davis as Former US Representative