Indiana Treasurer Richard Mourdock received a congratulatory call from Sen. Orrin Hatch (R-Utah) on Thursday, two days after Mourdock’s 20-point defeat of Sen. Dick Lugar in the Indiana Republican primary.

Hatch, who is facing a conservative challenge of his own in a primary next month, spoke with Mourdock for 10 minutes and cut him a check for $10,000 from his leadership political action committee, Orrin PAC.

According to a Republican aide with knowledge of their conversation, Hatch congratulated Mourdock, commended him for the TV appearances Hatch had seen him on, and said he was confident Mourdock could hold the seat for Republicans against Rep. Joe Donnelly (D).

Hatch and Lugar were both elected to the Senate for the first time in 1976.