Grant Shapps, a former minister, said there has not been "anything particularly glorious" about his party's performance for half a year. However, he blamed the recession and frustrations of Coalition government for the "difficult" period.
Mr Cameron has been struggling to draw a line under accusations of incompetence by the Government for several months. Since April, the Prime Minister has been forced to row back on several new taxes in the Budget, reverse a decision on the West Coast main line and condemn his chief whip for swearing at policemen.
However, Mr Cameron is hoping his new ministerial team formed at the re-shuffle last month will be able to turn the situation around and prove the new Conservative slogan: "Britain can deliver."
Mr Shapps changed jobs as part of this shake-up in the hope he would inject a new enthusiasm into the Conservative grassroots before the next election.
Launching the party's election strategy, the new chairman yesterday said it was best to be open about the fact that things have not been going to plan.
Asked whether the last six months had been an "absolute shambles", he told LBC Radio: "I don’t think that being in government is easy and I don’t think there's been anything particularly glorious about the last 6 months," he said.
Asked again whether that meant "yes", Mr Shapps said: "Yes. I mean, let’s be blunt about it. Things don't always go according to plan. That’s life and that’s government."
He said time would judge the current Government well but it is hard to govern in a difficult economic climate.
"Over a period, let’s face it, when you're having to do things which are tougher at any time since the war it’s difficult to be top notch," he said. "In a few years though, people will ask: who was the party who were able to make serious decisions?"
Mr Shapps told the Conservative Party conference in Birmingham that he wants to attract new members among "the builders, the strivers and creators" of society.
Unveiling a giant clock counting down 942 days until the election, he said party members need to stop being "shy Tories" and start shouting about the Government's achievements.
He said his job is to win the election for the Conservatives alone, so he would say "no, no, no" to anyone advising the party to campaign on a coalition platform with the Liberal Democrats.
"The day of the reshuffle I went to see the Prime Minister in Downing Street, and today I can reveal precisely what he said. 'Grant, you’ve got one task as chairman, get out there and kick-start our campaign, rally the troops, take the fight to Labour and help us win in 2015," he said.
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