Sen. Lindsey Graham said Texas GOP Sen. Ted Cruz' battle to defund Obamacare, resulting in a government shutdown, hurt the GOP brand.
Asked on CBS' "Face the Nation "about the role Cruz played in the shutdown, Graham called it a tactical mistake.
"I think the tactical choice that he embraced hurt our party," said Graham, a South Carolina Republican.
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"The political marketplace will determine Ted Cruz's future. We helped President Obama when he needed our help the most. After this debacle called the shutdown, our party's been hurt, our brand name is at the lowest ever, Obamacare actually got a bump in polling, and we got in the way of a disastrous rollout," Graham said.
"So from my point of view, this was a tactical choice that hurt us, but the good news for the Republican Party is the debacle is over if we don't do it again, and Obamacare is a continuing debacle," Graham said.
Graham said Sunday the Republican Party went too far right in its fight to repeal Obamacare.
"We're a right-of-center nation, we're not a right-ditch nation," Graham said.
"As a party, we've got to do some soul searching," said Graham, who repeatedly urged House Republicans to follow the leadership of House Speaker John Boehner.
"The public is ready for the Congress to behave better, this is a second chance, it would help us all," Graham said.
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