Former adviser: Romney lost because of the far right of this party

Former Bush Commerce Secretary Carlos Gutierrez said Sunday that he was shocked by Mitt Romney's recent comments about President Barack Obama giving "gifts" to win re-election.

"I was shocked," the former Romney adviser told CNN's Candy Crowley. "And frankly I don’t think that’s why Republicans lost the election. I think we lost the election because the far right of this party has taken the party to a place that it doesn’t belong."

Earlier this week, Romney said that Obama was re-elected because of "gifts" he gave to young voters, minority groups and women, such as deferred deportations and greater access to contraception.

"We are the party of prosperity, of growth, of tolerance," Gutierrez continued. "These immigrants who come across -- and what they do wrong is they risk their lives and they come here and they work because they want to be part of the American dream -- that is what the GOP is."

He added that he was unsure whether Romney realized he had insulted Hispanic voters with his language and attitude during the campaign.

Last week, Gutierrez said Romney's policies had scared "the heck out of" Hispanic voters.

Watch video, courtesy of CNN, below: