A half dozen gop senate candidates in competitive races have distanced themselves from Romney.   The latest was the snub by Dean Heller.

Heller hasn’t appeared alongside Romney since a fundraiser in the late spring — and GOP operatives in the state weren’t surprised that Heller, running as an independent-minded moderate, distanced himself from Romney’s hidden-camera comment that Obama supporters represent “47 percent” of voters he could never win.

The Heller-Romney dynamic is repeating itself in a half-dozen closely contested Senate races. Republicans don’t consider Romney a drag on local candidates — and he could very well win Nevada, where polls show him neck-and-neck with President Barack Obama. Yet he doesn’t represent much of a value-add to Republicans here — and his inconsistent messaging operation creates background noise other candidates want to avoid.

“Heller was holding him at arm’s length before the video. Now he’s running away like Usain Bolt,” said former Las Vegas Sun columnist Jon Ralston, the most influential political reporter in the state.

“His people are getting nervous. He’s a pretty decent candidate, and the only way they think they can lose is if Romney collapses. … If Obama opens up a 5 to 6 point lead as he has in other places, they think Heller will get dragged right down with him.”