Menendez: GOP will face 'wrath of the electorate' for opposing reg reform

Republicans will face "the wrath of the electorate" if they side against Democrats' financial reform bill, their Senate campaign chief said Wednesday.

Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee (DSCC) Chairman Robert Menendez (N.J.) warned of a price at the polls for the GOP if they end up opposing the financial regulatory reform bill that's about to make its way through the Senate.

"If that's what they want, I think they'll face the wrath of the electorate in the process," Menendez told reporters at the Capitol in response to Republican criticisms of the bill.

Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) made Republicans' distaste for the bill in its current form clear during a Senate floor speech on Tuesday, an argument the GOP reiterated in a meeting with President Barack Obama this morning.

In response, Democrats in Congress and in the White House have ramped up their criticism of the GOP, characterizing them as being in the pocket of hedge funds and investment banks.

Menendez, whose work at the DSCC will help determine a large part of the tone of this fall's midterm election debates, said the GOP will run into difficulty if they oppose the legislation.

"I think they'll have a lot of pressure," he said. "They'll have a tough time."