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One of the first Democrats to knock Mitt Romney for his charge that 47 percent of Americans are “dependent” on the federal government was Massachusetts Senate candidate Elizabeth Warren, who told the Washington Post‘s Greg Sargent, “Romney just wrote off half the people in Massachusetts and half the people in America as deadbeats.” Now Warren’s Republican opponent, Sen. Scott Brown, has followed suit. Here’s the statement he sent to The Hill on Tuesday:

“That’s not the way I view the world. As someone who grew up in tough circumstances, I know that being on public assistance is not a spot that anyone wants to be in. Too many people today who want to work are being forced into public assistance for lack of jobs.”

Brown’s not the only Republican to back away from the remarks of the party’s presidential nominee. Former wrestling executive Linda McMahon, who is running for Senate in Connecticut, said in a statement Tuesday that “I disagree with Gov. Romney’s insinuation that 47 percent of Americans believe they are victims who must depend on the government for their care.”

What makes Brown comments particularly noteworthy, though, is that he and Romney are both being advised by the same guy—GOP strategist Eric Fehrnstrom. (This isn’t the first time Fehrstrom’s candidates have been put in an awkward situation.)

One candidate who’s not running from Romney’s statements: Missouri Senate candidate Todd Akin. So that ought to help.