A year ago at The Heritage Foundation’s President’s Club meeting we began an exclusive lunch for the under-40 crowd. The goal was to give younger members of our President’s Club (those who donate $250 per year to Heritage) time to socialize and hear from a rising star in the movement. At a time when so many are asking about future leaders, this seemed like a unique way to bring them together.

I’ve had the pleasure of moderating these sessions before a couple hundred guests at the Ronald Reagan Building in Washington, D.C. The Weekly Standard’s Mary Katharine Ham joined us last November and National Review Online editor Kathryn Jean Lopez was our guest this spring. We decided to shift gears this time around and invite a member of Congress. One congressman, in particular, stood out: Rep. Jason Chaffetz (R-UT), a freshman who toppled a 12-year Republican incumbent in 2008.

Chaffetz puts extra emphasis on communicating, which is why you’ll find him an active user of Facebook, Twitter and YouTube. (How many members would use the Twitter name @JasonInTheHouse?) His cot-side chats from his congressional office are among the most clever videos I’ve seen from anyone in Congress. But even more impressive is his commitment to conservative principles. That’s what motivated him to run for Congress and why he was elected by his constituents to represent Utah’s 3rd District today.

Our conversation touched on everything from his low-budget campaign tactics to the scene on the House floor Saturday night during the health care debate. The full video (about 45 minutes) is below.