USA Today/Center for Public Integrity: Out-of-state donors are pouring cash into local campaigns of Democrats across the country

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. — In New Mexico’s Statehouse, Jimmie Hall is something of a fixture: The veteran Republican representative has served District 28 in this sun-dried, high-desert city for seven terms.

For much of Hall’s tenure, the district, which lies along the foothills of the Sandia Mountains on the eastern edge of Albuquerque, has been reliably conservative, so much so that he’s coasted to victory without having to face any Democratic opponent in his three most recent re-election bids.

But this year is different. In November, Hall will square off against Melanie Stansbury, who is among a slew of young, progressive Democrats running for office at every level of government across the country.

It’s a hyperlocal race to represent about 30,000 New Mexicans. What’s surprising, though, is how much others outside of the Land of Enchantment are participating in it. More than one out of every three dollars that the two candidates have raised so far came from out of state — the latest sign that America is paying attention to what happens even in the tiniest of state legislative districts in a momentous year when so much is at stake. …

The Center for Public Integrity’s analysis shows that a significant amount of donations from out of state has gone to some of the most competitive gubernatorial races. Topping the chart is the close contest between Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker, a Republican seeking a third term, and Democratic challenger Tony Evers, superintendent of the Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction.

Among candidates for state-level offices, Walker has raised the most from out of state, hauling in about $11.5 million to make up more than half of his campaign funds. Evers, meanwhile, is trailing by some distance: He has so far managed to raise about $2.5 million, one-fifth of which came from across state lines. …

Jay Heck, executive director of public interest advocacy group Common Cause in Wisconsin, said the key reason why Walker gets the big bucks is that his donors see the Badger State as a lab of sorts for conservative policies.

“If you can get certain policies to succeed in Wisconsin — such as voter suppression, voter ID laws, extreme partisan gerrymandering, the destruction of the public employee unions, the right-to-work — then you can do it in almost any state in the country,” Heck said. “So I think that’s one of the reasons why you see so much money pouring into Wisconsin and into Walker’s campaign.”