A year after leaving Congress, Phil Gingrey isn’t slowing down — and he’s still a regular in Washington, D.C.

By Natalie Simms
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It’s been nearly a year since Phil Gingrey, M.D., left the floor of the U.S. House of Representatives after serving the 11th district of Georgia for 12 years. Since leaving office in January, after a failed bid to replace Saxby Chambliss as Georgia’s next U.S. senator, Gingrey hasn’t slowed down nor has he left the political arena.

“After the Republican primary for U.S. Senate, I knew I would not be the next senator, but I still had to complete my sixth term in office … I had six more months to serve,” says Gingrey, who was elected to Congress in 2002.

“As I finished my last term, my thoughts turned to what I would do after Congress because I was not ready to retire,” he says at age 73. “I love the political process, especially at the federal level. I thought about maybe going back into medicine and open a part-time medical practice in Cobb County or I could stay in Washington, D.C., and work part-time to stay close to the process.”

Gingrey says he “kicked a lot of tires” in both Georgia and Washington but opted to join the well-known Drinker Biddle & Reath law firm.

“I am not a lawyer but I am serving as a senior advisor in their government and regulatory affairs group. This position may lead into being a lobbyist. There is a ban on lobbying for one year out of office. My ban will be up in January 2016,” he says.

“I joined them in March and for the last 10 months; I’ve been working with their government relations practice called the District Policy Group. They have a lot of healthcare clients so I have been offering my expertise on public policy and government relations to clients all over the country…I’ve traveled all over to Chicago, New York and Philadelphia.”

Gingrey currently is in contract negotiations to commit to a second year with the firm.

“It has been an interesting year and I have learned a lot. I am almost committed to a second year but we will discuss the terms of my contract soon. But it is only part-time and it definitely keeps me busy,” he says.

Aside from his work with Drinker Biddle, Gingrey also serves on a few boards on behalf of Gov. Nathan Deal. He currently serves on the Georgia Regents Health System Board of Directors and the Georgia World Congress Center Authority Board of Directors.

“I enjoy serving on those boards and my other volunteer work. I have no thoughts of retiring,” he says.

Does he miss Congress?

“I do miss the camaraderie of the Georgia delegation from Congress. I got along well with not just the GOP delegates but also the Democratic members,” he says. “The Georgia contingent got together weekly to discuss issues and I miss that…I really miss all my colleagues.”

Gingrey says he is looking forward to the opportunity to one again work with his former colleagues.

“You move on after office and I have but I now have the opportunity to interact with them and still be busy in the political process through my work,” he says.

But one thing Gingrey says he doesn’t miss is the partisanship.

“When you leave Congress, you leave the partisanship behind. With my work, I can just focus on the policy,” he says. “I like not having to be partisan.”

Will he run for office again?

“I don’t plan to run for elected office but no one knows what the future holds,” he says. “I take care of myself and try to stay healthy. We have a townhouse in Washington, D.C., that is close to work, so I feel I can stay in Washington a while. Maybe work 10 more years in the political arena … but I have no thoughts to run for elected office.”

But there is a caveat.

“I would gladly accept if I were appointed to elected office to fill a term in Senate,” he says. “There is just so much money involved in campaigns these days with all the Super PACS…it’s a little discouraging. I think it will keep some well-qualified folks from running for office.”