Phil Gingrey: Wouldn’t wish John Boehner’s job on anyone — but hope he runs again

Rep. Phil Gingrey, Georgia Republican, said he wouldn’t wish the job of Speaker of the House on anybody — but that he hopes Speaker John A. Boehner runs again.

“I think Speaker Boehner has to herd a lot of cats — it’s not an easy job. I wouldn’t wish it on anybody, but I have supported him, and if I were voting again, I would think that John would do a very good job. I hope he does run for speaker in the 114th Congress,” he said Friday on C-SPAN’s “Washington Journal.”

Mr. Gingrey was discussing a comment to The Washington Times from GOP strategist John Feehery that Republicans who came to Congress as part of the tea party wave of 2010 are growing up.

“They now understand that Boehner knows what the hell he is doing,” Mr. Feehery said.

“Some people say it only takes about two years for [members] to be co-opted away from their principles toward pragmatism,” he said. “Pragmatism is good, but you never want to give up your principles and you always, as they say, remember the one that brung you to the dance, and that’s [the] 700,000 people in your congressional district.”