This year marks the 20th anniversary of Joe Scarborough's election to the U.S. House of Representatives.

Part of the “Republican Revolution” of 1994, Scarborough served from 1995 to 2001 and earned a spot onstage at the 2000 Republican National Convention — guitar and all — as “Regular Joe.” Even then, some folks pegged him as having the kind of everyman appeal that could lead to bigger and brighter political things.

Joe left Congress on Sept. 5, 2001, joined a local law firm, dabbled in weekly newspapering and other endeavors. In April 2003 got a gig on MSNBC hosting “Scarborough Country,” which aimed to serve as a counterpoint to that network’s left-leaning tendencies.

When Don Imus left the airwaves, Joe was one of the rotating hosts who auditioned to fill the former radio legend’s morning drive time slot. In July 2007, he got the slot permanently.

Now with his co-host Mika Brzezinski, Morning Joe has become the go-to venue for movers and shakers. His 281,519 Twitter followers enjoy his banter one tweet at a time. Whether you agree with his politics or not, Joe is one of Pensacola’s highest-profile sons, We spoke with folks who were there at the beginning to look toward Joe's future.