Priebus predicts 'granular' approach for party

(CNN) –– Republican National Committee chairman Reince Priebus said while the party's committee is not an organization to recommend policy changes to Congress, he believes messaging plays an important role and anticipates a more 'granular' approach to presenting GOP policies.

Priebus, who told RNC members in a letter last week he would seek re-election as the committee's leader, has said his party is planning an "autopsy" to locate areas where the GOP struggled to gain support in last month's elections.

Democrats trumped Republicans among Hispanics, the fastest growing minority group in the United States, in the past elections and Republicans' post-November 6 musings point to a need to reach out to the key demographic.

Asked how the GOP plans to deal with immigration reform in the coming years, Priebus said he sees a need to amplify voting registration drives in Hispanic communities and a more robust ground game to connect with the group.

"You're going to have an RNC and a Republican team that decides that we need to get a whole lot more granular in our approach across the country," Priebus told CNN's Wolf Blitzer while appearing on "The Situation Room" Tuesday.

"My guess is that's the direction we're going: much more granular, long-term and a sustained presence on the ground, not just for eight months but for years to come," he continued.

His comments come in response to criticism by many Republicans in recent weeks as they survey the party's performance this election year.

"I think we were pretty clear on some of the dumb things that were said in last cycle," Priebus said, underscoring the need for a better party infrastructure four years from now going into the 2016 elections.

Ari Fleischer, a former White House press secretary for President George W. Bush and a CNN contributor, specifically pointed to GOP Senate candidates in Indiana and Missouri who made controversial comments about rape.

"You have to have candidates who don't make tragic mistakes," he said Monday.

Fleischer will help lead efforts at the RNC as it undergoes its official review in the coming months.

- CNN's Kevin Liptak contributed to this report.

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