Story highlights Reince Priebus said he would rather GOP nominee run against Hillary Clinton than Bernie Sanders

Priebus said the former secretary of state's popularity is a liability

Washington (CNN) Republican National Committee Chairman Reince Priebus said Friday he would prefer the GOP nominee run against Hillary Clinton than Bernie Sanders.

"I'd rather run against Hillary Clinton because she's defined, she's not liked, and in a popular cultural vote in America, that's a really important question, and she doesn't do well with that question," Priebus told CNN's Wolf Blitzer.

"I don't know what is going to happen with the FBI. So put her unpopularity together with another unknown that could make it harder for her -- I would rather run against Hillary Clinton," Priebus said on "Wolf," citing the ongoing investigation into Clinton's private email server that she used while she was secretary of state.

Priebus claimed Clinton's popularity would be a liability in a general election campaign.

Read More