GOP senate candidates ride Romney momentum

The committee tasked with electing Republicans to the Senate sent an email to supporters, praising Mitt Romney's debate performance and asking for donations to help the GOP nominee continue the "momentum."

The boost comes two weeks after some Republican Senate candidates openly criticized their own party's nominee over Romney's controversial "47%" comments, where he described nearly half of Americans as "victims" dependent on the government because they don't pay federal income taxes.

The comments, which came from secretly recorded video at a May fund-raiser, quickly sparked an uproar among Democrats and some Republicans. While Romney said he could have stated his argument "more clearly," he largely stood by the point of his message and continued to rail against the increasing size of government.

However, former Gov. Tommy Thompson, who's running in a tight Senate race in Wisconsin, made headlines last month when he blamed Romney's snafu for his own slippage in recent polls at the time.

"The presidential thing is bound to have an impact on every election," Thompson told Madison television station WKOW. "You know, whether you're a Democrat or Republican. If you're a standard-bearer for the presidency is not doing well, it's going to reflect on the down ballot."

Incumbent Sen. Dean Heller of Nevada also tried to distance himself from Romney's comments, saying he believes a safety net is "one of the responsibilities of the federal government." Heller is defending his seat in a close race against Democratic challenger Shelley Berkley.

Other Republican candidates in razor thin Senate races--Sen. Scott Brown of Massachusetts and Linda McMahon in Connecticut--expressed disagreement with Romney over his comments, as well. It's worth noting, however, both candidates are running in typically blue states.

In the email sent Thursday by the National Republican Senatorial Committee, however, the group's chairman, Sen. John Cornyn, painted a united show of support among GOP senators and praised the nominee's debate performance.

"Mitt Romney couldn't have made a case for our vision of a Conservative government any better," the email stated.

Setting a goal for $100,000 by midnight, the fundraising pitch marked another signal that Wednesday night's debate could prove to be a turning point in the race, with Romney bolstering his conservative base.

"Romney's performance will help Republicans across the board, but we need to stand together and make sure this momentum doesn't end," the email stated. "Governor Romney in the White House is only part of the story."