A leader of the GOP's campaign arm is defending the current upheaval among House Republicans, saying the turbulent search to replace outgoing Speaker John Boehner John Andrew BoehnerLongtime House parliamentarian to step down Five things we learned from this year's primaries Bad blood between Pelosi, Meadows complicates coronavirus talks MORE (R-Ohio) will ultimately benefit the party.

"There's a lot of discussion going on as far as the direction, the vision that our party wants to go and who [is] the best person to lead it. You've seen it both in the presidential cycle, in terms of the number of candidates that we have up there and the competition that's going on, and frankly now you're seeing it in the House," Sean Spicer, top strategist for the Republican National Committee (RNC), told CNN Saturday.

"I believe this is a good thing. It's good for the party to go through these discussions, to have different people put their ideas and their vision out there and for the best person to win."

ADVERTISEMENT

Spicer acknowledged that picking leaders is "not always the prettiest" process, but he rejected the notion that the party is at war with itself and dismissed the charges of Republican "chaos" and dysfunction as fantasies of the media.

"I'm not too concerned about the thoughts and opinions of opinion writers in newspapers these days. I'm worried about the opinion of our grassroots, our voters, our activists, those who are watching us," Spicer said.

He noted that a string of recent victories have given Republicans control over most statehouses across the country, and he highlighted the fact that the GOP's House majority is the largest since the Hoover administration.

"So, as a party, we're doing pretty well when you look at the actual number [of] wins that we're getting," Spicer said.

Not all Republicans agree, and a host of centrists have warned that the turmoil threatens to tarnish the GOP brand and undermine the party's chances of winning the White House and keeping the Senate in 2016.

"Let's not pretend that any of this is good," Rep. Devin Nunes (R-Calif.), a Boehner John Andrew BoehnerLongtime House parliamentarian to step down Five things we learned from this year's primaries Bad blood between Pelosi, Meadows complicates coronavirus talks MORE ally, said this week. "But the only good thing is we have a Speaker in place now so we don't have any constitutional crisis."

The events of the last two weeks have rattled a Republican conference, now scrambling in search of a Speaker, and shaken up all of Capitol Hill ahead of looming deadlines on contentious must-pass legislation to prevent a federal default and keep the government funded.

The maelstrom began Sept. 25 with Boehner's jolting announcement that he'll resign from Congress on Oct. 30 rather than face off against conservatives who wanted to strip his Speaker's gavel — a confrontation he said would harm the institution on the whole.

Then, on Friday, the storm picked up when Rep. Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.), the majority leader thought to be Boehner's heir apparent, dropped out of the Speakership race due to opposition from those same conservatives, who feared his reign would be little different from Boehner's.

That has left the party clambering to find a figure commanding enough respect to unite the fractious conference and win the 218 Republican votes needed to assume the Speaker's mantle. Rep. Paul Ryan Paul Davis RyanKenosha will be a good bellwether in 2020 At indoor rally, Pence says election runs through Wisconsin Juan Williams: Breaking down the debates MORE (R-Wis.) is widely thought to be that person, but the Ways and Means Committee chairman insists he's not interested in the promotion.

Democrats, for their part, have shown restraint — at least publicly — in responding to the chaos across the aisle. They say they're optimistic the Republicans will find someone to lead the chamber, and they've found comfort in Boehner's vow to remain in Washington until that happens.

"We have a Speaker," Rep. Steny Hoyer (Md.), the Democratic whip, said Friday. "The Speaker of the House has said he doesn't want to see the government shut down, and he doesn't want to see the debt limit compromised."

Still, the Republican turmoil has bolstered the Democrats' long-held accusations that the majority Republicans are an unmanageable group uninterested in governance. And the Democrats' election leaders clearly smell blood.

"For the first time this election, ratings show Democrats could capitalize on Republican dysfunction and win the House!" the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee crowed Friday in a fundraising email.

Spicer rejects the notion that the tumult carries negative consequences for the GOP. The focus on the Speaker debate, he says, has offered a chance for Republicans to vocalize their goals while all eyes are upon them.

"We've been handed an opportunity right now to show the American people that we have leaders that have a vision, can articulate a vision and solutions for the American people," he told CNN. "I think we have to take that opportunity and show them that we are a party that wants to get their vote, earn their vote and that we have solutions for the future of this country."