Utah Republican congressional hopeful Mia Love offered distinctly tepid support Speaker of the House John Boehner when asked last month whether or not she would support his speakership if she were elected.
“Along the same lines of divisiveness in Congress, even some American conservatives are concerned about Speaker Boehner’s performance,” asked an audience member at a town hall in South Jordan, Utah, according to audio obtained by The Daily Caller. “If you were in Congress, would you support him in his speakership?”
“You know, it’s interesting, a lot of people ask me, would you support? I’d support him in some; I’m not going to always agree with him. But I’m not there to support Speaker Boehner; I’m here to represent people of the 4th District,” Love replied.
“So, it’s certainly a question that I don’t, I don’t — that would be my answer. I mean there are some things that he’s tried to do that I think are appropriate, but my job is to represent the 4th District and the things that they would like me to do. I’m not going to Washington to represent the Speaker of the House, or to support or not support the Speaker of the House,” she added.
Boehner began this Congress in January with a fizzled attempted coup to remove him from the speakership. Last week, he reignited the anger of conservatives when he said outside conservative groups — like Heritage Action and Freedomworks — were “misleading” supporters and had “lost all credibility.” The verbal war began when outside groups called for opposition to the budget plan, something Boehner felt was premature as the plan had not been officially released at the time.
Love’s exchange, which took place on Nov. 23, predates that.
Asked about her comments by The Daily Caller on Wednesday, Love reiterated her comments at the meeting.
“My job is to represent the people of the 4th District,” she said of why she was running.
“I’m not running for Congress to go and vote for the speaker. … I’ll make that decision when I get there,” she added.
Love, who seemed to know exactly what TheDC was referring to, said she had found the question “pretty interesting” and “odd,” saying it was the “only time” she had been asked such a thing.
Love is running to represent Utah’s 4th Congressional District. She is currently running unopposed, after the incumbent congressman, Democratic Rep. Jim Matheson, announced Tuesday that he would not run for re-election.