Haley Barbour: There's No Problem With the GOP Brand

Former Mississippi Gov. Haley Barbour and Republican National Committee spokesman Sean Spicer Sunday denied claims that there are issues with their party's brand, pointing out they believe GOP candidates will seize several key races on Tuesday.

"Twenty-nine of the nation's governors are Republicans," Barbour said during a panel discussion on CNN's "State of the Union." "More state legislatures have Republicans than Democrats. It's not the brand. They're beating incumbents again and again."

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Spicer, likewise, said that it's "never an easy thing to beat an incumbent," and predicted Republican candidates will have many wins in traditionally blue New England.

"Taken collectively, this is going to be a good night for Republicans," Spicer told show host Candy Crowley.

Barbour said that he believes that if Republicans win back control of the Senate on Tuesday, much of Washington's gridlock will end.

"We've got to start to do the business of the government," said Barbour, noting that with Republicans controlling both chambers of Congress, bills such as the budget will be able to get through the Senate and onto the president's desk, rather than being held back.

But two Democrats appearing on Sunday's panel disagreed with Barbour and Spicer.

"If they get the Senate, they better do something," former Pennsylvania Gov. Ed Rendell said. "They better send the president responsible pieces of legislation or they’ll get crushed in 2016."

And if Republicans end up controlling Congress, President Barack Obama would do well to find areas in which he can agree with the opposing party, rather than oppose the Republicans, said Rendell.

But Rendell and fellow panelist Mo Elleithee, a spokesman for the Democratic National Committee would not concede that Democrats will lose the Senate, and Rendell insisted that he thinks "there's a huge problem with the GOP brand."

“They should be stampeding this election,” Rendell commented. “This election isn’t over by any means.”


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