RNC chairman predicts 'tsunami-type election'
March 18th, 2014
01:43 PM ET
9 years ago

RNC chairman predicts 'tsunami-type election'

Washington (CNN) - The head of the Republican Party has a prediction about November's midterm elections.

"I think we're in for a tsunami-type election in 2014," Republican National Committee Chairman Reince Preibus said Tuesday at a breakfast hosted by the Christian Science Monitor.[twitter-follow screen_name='politicalticker'][twitter-follow screen_name='psteinhausercnn']

"My belief is, it's going to be a very big win, especially at the U.S. Senate level, and we may add some seats in congressional races. But I need to and we need to at the RNC make sure that we can capture the positives and the benefits we've been able to provide in 2014 and build on that to have success in 2016, which is a very different type of election," Priebus added.

Priebus said he thinks GOP gains with female and younger voters will lead the party to victory in November.

"I'm just guessing here, but I think among youth and women, we're gonna see the greatest increase in 2014 because of, number one, Obamacare," Priebus said.

Priebus: How the GOP is changing

Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz of Florida, chair of the rival Democratic National Committee, pushed back on the prediction by Priebus.

"I think we have incredible opportunities all across the country, and our incumbents and U.S. senators all across the country are running aggressive, bottom-up campaigns that are going to reach voters where they are," Wasserman Schultz said at a news conference.

The congresswoman added that she's "confident we will hold the Senate."

Democrats hold a 55-45 majority in the Senate (53 Democrats and two independents who caucus with the party), but are defending 21 of the 36 seats up in November, with half of those Democratic-held seats in red or purple states.

In the House of Representatives, Democrats need a net gain of 17 seats from the GOP to regain control of the chamber. Political handicappers consider that a tall order, considering the shrinking number of competitive congressional districts nationwide.

CNN Political Editor Paul Steinhauser and CNN's Dana Davidsen contributed to this report

Getting to know the RNC Chairman

soundoff (95 Responses)
  1. Chris-E...al

    ID Rather be a poor and alive repub than be dead poor dem tim ! I dont want to be waiting in long lines for gas and eating gov cheese ! like carter days ! And the mideast is about to explode .and russia just took out the livefire . Oil is going up . dems want drill ! pull you head out of the sand and take a peek yal . i did like that cheese oh . it was kinda sharp .

    March 18, 2014 03:03 pm at 3:03 pm |
  2. Dave

    Yep, and Republicans were promising Mitt Romney would win Ohio, right up to the last minute. They always are surprised when the public rejects them.

    March 18, 2014 03:05 pm at 3:05 pm |
  3. julie

    .........tsunami-type election, only if the US is taken over by Zombies, that's the ONLY way..........

    March 18, 2014 03:08 pm at 3:08 pm |
  4. yogi

    "the positives and the benefits we've been able to provide in 2014"??? NO solutions, NO contributions, NOTHING! Republicans are disgusting.

    March 18, 2014 03:09 pm at 3:09 pm |
  5. John

    Just like Akin and friends the GOP will undoubtedly shoot themselves in the foot by talking about what the actually believe. Just like 2012 they will invariably have some public meeting with an audience composed of tea party and white nationalists and end up saying all the stupid stuff that was said in 2012 that cost them every single seat under contention. See when you believe all that silliness but your election is contingent on not telling anyone that silliness you will invariably lose the general election.

    March 18, 2014 03:10 pm at 3:10 pm |
  6. Rosa

    Probably won't be much different than the tsunami against GOP in second term of W. midterm during second term always bad for presidents party.

    March 18, 2014 03:11 pm at 3:11 pm |
  7. dlh

    He, and the rest of the GOP is dilusinal if he thinks the Republicans will take back anything. The people are tired of the obstructionist politics that the GOP has consistantly put forward in the last 5 years. The results of the budget fight over the last 6 months has proven that. I would expect small gains for the Democrates or status quo in both houses.

    March 18, 2014 03:11 pm at 3:11 pm |
  8. floyd from illinois

    The GOP was predicting this in 2012 and rthe Presidency to boot – didn't happen.

    March 18, 2014 03:12 pm at 3:12 pm |
  9. Its a free country right?

    Maybe the Democrats should have read the ACA before passing it?

    March 18, 2014 03:14 pm at 3:14 pm |
  10. Lizzie

    mcp123, so what's the democratic/liberal solution, increase taxes, spend on frivolous things, payback big donors, promise free everything.

    March 18, 2014 03:16 pm at 3:16 pm |
  11. Bill from GA

    Dean – "Obama's arrogance + incopetence = votes for GOP"

    Wow, Dean, you sound so 'copetent'!

    You were joking, right?? I sure laughed.

    March 18, 2014 03:20 pm at 3:20 pm |
  12. wise guy

    I believe you can count out Mi. I'm pretty sure we've had enough of the BS for a while, but, you never know.

    March 18, 2014 03:20 pm at 3:20 pm |
  13. Chris-E...al

    Tim how many poor PPL LIKE ME HAVE YOU EVER seen CREATE JOBS ? FEW ! I WORK FOR THE RICH BUD AN if you dems tax them i might lose mine ! thats what the boss said. good try . . Its basic economics . if you want 2 give more i think the irs has a box 2 check if you do .

    March 18, 2014 03:20 pm at 3:20 pm |
  14. Yakobi

    Gotta love all the left-wing naysayers here. It's as if they live in their own fantasy land, where if they say something, it makes it so. Oh, yeah–they get that naive optimism from their leader. Come November, they and Harry Reid are going to wake up to a rude reality.

    March 18, 2014 03:21 pm at 3:21 pm |
  15. rs

    The biggest issue confronting the GOP on the road to success is the complete lack of accomplishment for the last 6 years. Nationally they have accomplished zip, and in states they've actually harmed their record by engaging in the taking of civil rights, voting rights and more lunacy.
    Sure, we can look back another few years for GOP success, but that runs smack into the Bush Crash of '08, two unfunded wars and the wealthy welfare tax cut. I doubt they'll want anyone to look there.

    March 18, 2014 03:23 pm at 3:23 pm |
  16. sbre

    this GOP controlled congress has been the least effective congress in this nations history. That is a stone cold fact. This organization has earned themselves a one-way ticket out of washington by their absolute dearth of meaningful accomplishments unless you consider getting our nations first ever debt rating reduction and renaming post offices an accomplishment.

    March 18, 2014 03:23 pm at 3:23 pm |
  17. Yakobi

    Oooo..."income inequality"..."war on women"..."climate change"...
    What other nonsensical buzz words will the dems roll out between now and November? None of these seem to be sticking with the American voter.
    Their problem is they live in a dream world, where they sip lotus-flavored Kool Aid and believe if they say something enough times it makes it a fact.

    March 18, 2014 03:24 pm at 3:24 pm |
  18. Foreverwar

    "Tsunami" is a bit of a stretch, I don't think the GOP will lose that bad really.

    March 18, 2014 03:27 pm at 3:27 pm |
  19. Michael Cliff

    I think every American would agree to this, no matter which side of the asile you are on, until both parties get off their high horse, quit pointing fingers at each other and somehow vote in term limits, our country will continue to slide on the path it is going.....which would be down. That's not a Republican Issue, or a Democratic issue,,,,that's an American issue. Voting the same people into office is part of the problem!!!!! Career Politicians=corruption.

    March 18, 2014 03:30 pm at 3:30 pm |
  20. Yakobi

    I love that the dems' biggest obstacle to a Nov victory is the party isn't considered radical enough by its far left loons. I guess a deep hatred of Bush will go so far before you're expected to actually cater to the folly of those who elected you. But entrenched politicians like Pelosi and Reid aren't very good at judging which way the political wind blows or looking very far ahead. I can't wait until the GOP controls the Senate and changes the rules on everything to a simple majority vote, citing Reid's own example!

    March 18, 2014 03:30 pm at 3:30 pm |
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