Democrats brace for reverberations of Clinton email scandal in tight Senate races

The FBI's discovery of emails pertaining to the Hillary Clinton private email server investigation has apparently shaken up the presidential race, but Democrats are now bracing for a major tremors in down-ballot Senate races, too.

"It's certainly not helpful," Missouri Democratic Party Chairman Roy Temple told NBC News. "It kind of pollutes the Democratic brand in a way that's unnecessary, simply because it doesn't actually involve any new information, which is why the frustration at [FBI Director James] Comey is so high right now."

And as Ian Prior of the Senate Leadership Fund, a GOP super PAC, explained: "The slightest breeze in any direction can really push these races one way or another. All you need is 0.01 percent in a race like this."

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While there have not been any major shifts yet in the polls, even a point or two here and there can change the outcome in a neck-and-neck Senate race. "While the email news does not play a decisive role in the presidential contest, a couple of points on the margins could be having a critical impact on tight down-ballot races," said Monmouth director Patrick Murray.