Reid: GOP takeover of Senate ‘not in the cards’

{mosads}Speaking on PBS NewsHour, Reid said that, despite a number of recent recruiting failures and a handful of vulnerable Democratic incumbents defending seats in red states, he’s not concerned about losing the majority.

He touted Democrat Michelle Nunn, running for Senate in Georgia, as a “tremendous candidate,” and said that Alison Lundergan Grimes, challenging Sen. Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) “is now ahead of the Republican leader.” The most recent survey of the race, from GOP firm Wenzel Strategies, gave McConnell an eight-point lead over Grimes. A Democratic poll prior to that showed them tied.

“I think, realistically, that’s not in the cards,” he said of a GOP takeover of the Senate.

Republican hopes of orchestrating just that outcome in 2014 were buoyed earlier this month when Democrats lost their top recruit in Montana, seriously complicating their chances at retaining the seat.

The party has also yet been unable to front a strong challenger in South Dakota and West Virginia, and a number of their senators are defending seats won with hefty margins by Republican Mitt Romney in last year’s presidential election.

Reid insisted, however, that “all my incumbents are doing just fine,” and that there are merely “a couple of retirements we’re working on.” He added that the GOP “brand” is what will sink the party in 2014.

“The American people do not like the brand of the Republicans. Let’s face it — they’ve offended Hispanics, African Americans, women, gays. They’re going to have to do something to… do a little better branding here,” he said.

Concerning the Senate race in New Jersey, which is still weeks away from the Democratic primary, Reid suggested Booker was poised to capture the seat.

“Cory Booker’s on his way from New Jersey,” he said. “And that’ll happen in October.”

Booker has maintained a solid lead in every poll of the race, and whomever wins the Democratic primary is expected to go on to win in the general.

He faces a challenge in the primary from Rep. Rush Holt, state Assembly Speaker Sheila Oliver and Rep. Frank Pallone, who was endorsed by the family of deceased Sen. Frank Lautenberg (D-N.J.), who the winner of the race will replace in the Senate.

This story was corrected on July 29 at 5:15 a.m.