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Several Republican senators said Thursday that they didn't anticipate such an intense backlash to the open letter that Sen. Tom Cotton (R-Ark.) sent to Iranian leaders on Monday.

Those who signed have not backed down from their decisions to do so.

"The letter has been a surprising controversy that came up," said Sen. Mark Kirk (Ill.), a moderate Republican up for reelection in 2016, who signed the letter.

Sen. Jerry Moran (R-Kan.), who also signed on, called the negative response "a significant overreaction" to "a number of senators expressing their view of something that's a fact, that Congress, the Senate, needs to be involved."

Forty-six fellow Republicans signed Cotton's letter, which was designed to derail a potential nuclear deal with Iran. The letter warned Iranian leaders that any lasting deal must get the input of Congress, not just President Obama.

No Democrats signed the letter. Obama has criticized it, and so have many other Democrats.

"I'm opposed to Iran having a nuclear weapon. So I'll do everything I can to keep that from happening, and that was one of the steps," said Sen. Dean Heller (R-Nev.), another signatory.

Asked whether he was surprised at the backlash, Heller responded: "The liberal backlash? No."

But it's not just the left that has denounced the strategy. The Wall Street Journal editorial board took issue with it. And Rep. Peter King (R-N.Y.) reportedly expressed reservations.

"Everybody's entitled to their opinion," said Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.), who signed the letter.

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Some Republican senators surprised by backlash to Iran letter

The convention is expected to bring 50,000 delegates, media and visitors to Ohio's second biggest city between July 18 and 21, 2016. Despite the long lead time, every hotel room within a half hour trip of downtown has already been booked, according to David Gilbert, head of the city's tourism bureau.

That has created a lucrative opportunity for homeowners -- and even some renters -- who are asking for between $6,000 and $10,000 a week for places that are located near the Quicken Loans Arena, where the event will be held, said Jared Zak of Howard Hanna, the real estate agent for the convention. Some are asking for even more, like one unique home on the city's West side with a list price of $40,000 for the week.

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At those inflated prices, the convention will be a windfall for many landlords, who would otherwise earn an average of about $2,000 to $2,500 in rent per month, according to Zak.

It's normal for housing costs to jump during big events like conventions, but Cleveland's increases are likely to be more pronounced than, say, Philadelphia's where the Democratic National Convention will be held. That's because residential occupancy rates in Cleveland's downtown area are already very high and there are only so many hotel rooms for visitors to stay.

But Cleveland is in the middle of a building boom. In fact, some of the approximately 16,000 hotel rooms that are booked for convention visitors are still under construction and expected to be finished before the event, said Gilbert.

Even with the rapid expansion of hotel stock in recent years, thousands of visitors will have to stay in private residences rented through a real estate agent or sites like Craigslist or Airbnb. Gilbert said he is not concerned about anyone being left out on the streets.

"We would not have been awarded the convention if we didn't have the infrastructure that was needed," said Gilbert.

Related: In Cleveland, sheep could be key to the city's renewal

Justin Exline has already put his downtown Gateway District condo up for rent on Craigslist. He travels extensively for work and wants to make some money on his empty one-bedroom condo, which is only a block away from where the convention will take place.

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Cleveland's rents soar ahead of Republican convention

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