Group: Out-of-State Money Rises in Maine Governor Race

A Maine group says there's significantly more money entering the governor's race from out-of-state donors than four years ago.

Maine Citizens for Clean Elections, which advocates for increased public funding for campaigns, said Wednesday that out-of-state donors have given nearly $1.5 million to the campaigns of Republican Gov. Paul LePage, Democrat Mike Michaud and independent Eliot Cutler.

The group says over the course of the 2010 election the top three candidates took in about $350,000 from out-of-state contributors, or about a quarter what they've already brought in this year. In 2010, about 5 percent of all donations were from out-of-state. This year, it's about 22 percent.

Executive director Andrew Bossie says candidates are using "wealthy out-of-state donors to fund their campaigns at the expense of everyday Maine voters."