Cornyn: ‘Significant’ wins ahead; Menendez: No GOP Senate ahead

The two heads of the senatorial campaign arms sparred Sunday over how their parties would fare in elections a month from now, with Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee Chairman Robert Menendez (N.J.) expressing confidence that Republicans would not seize the majority in the upper chamber.

On CNN’s “State of the Union,” Menendez prodded at some of the GOP nominees and said Republicans would not seize any of the “triple crown”: the former seats of President Obama and Vice President Biden, and the seat of Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.).

“This is a volatile cycle,” Menendez said. “…Who would have thought that in Delaware Mike Castle would not have been the Republican nominee?”

He took another stab at Delaware Senate nominee Christine O’Donnell: “We didn’t even know about her interest in witchcraft until some thirtysomething days ago.”

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National Republican Senatorial Committee Chairman John Cornyn (Texas) said that “by and large the Tea Party movement has been constructive and helpful,” but stressed that the primaries were over and now the party is united.

“There’s a lot of enthusiasm and it’s all directed toward the administration and the Democratic majority,” Cornyn said.

“If you like the way the country is going now… I guess the message from Sen. Reid and Sen. Menendez is ‘stay the course,'” he added.

Menendez said that Democrats had the confidence of the middle class going into elections, saying it came down to “who fights for them versus who fights for the special interests every day.”

He was asked about Sen. Jim DeMint (R-S.C.) using PAC money to fund ads against Senate colleagues, as reported by The Hill on Saturday, but shrugged off the conservative senator’s offensive. “The bottom line is at least his money is disclosed,” Menendez said.

Cornyn predicted “significant” victories for Republicans on Election Day, which he called a referendum on unpopular policies of the Obama administration and the Democratic Congress.

“The only question is how many seats we’re going to pick up,” Cornyn said.