MADISON - Taking a page from presidential candidate Scott Walker’s playbook, Republican leaders in the state Senate and Assembly, to include the Republican co-chairs of the Joint Finance Committee, are today abandoning the budget crisis they've created in Wisconsin to fund raise out of state.

WisPolitics reports that the Republican Party of Wisconsin will tonight host a $1,000 per person fundraiser at the Washington, D.C. firm of mega-lobbyist Haley Barbour, whose clients include the Koch brothers and who once said the civil rights revolution wasn't "that bad" for African Americans.

The event will be hosted by Senate Majority Leader Scott Fitzgerald, Speaker Robin Vos, Senate Assistant Majority Leader Paul Farrow, Majority Leader Rep. Jim Steineke, and Joint Finance Co-chairs Sen. Alberta Darling and Rep. John Nygren.

Also invited to attend the event are Ron Johnson, Sean Duffy, Glenn Grothman, Reid Ribble, Paul Ryan, Jim Sensenbrenner, and Reince Priebus.

Meanwhile, back in Wisconsin, people all over the state remain opposed to the Walker/Republican budget. The latest Marquette University poll, conducted as legislators around the state have been holding listening sessions on the state budget, showed that a majority of Wisconsinites believe the state is headed in the wrong direction and is lagging other states in job creation. A plurality of voters says the state budget -- which currently has a $2 billion deficit -- has gotten worse in the last few years.

The poll also showed that Wisconsin voters overwhelmingly (more than 70%) oppose cuts to K-12 education and higher education and are against expanding the unaccountable school voucher system. They also said investing in schools is more important than property tax relief.

“Wisconsin Republicans pledged allegiance to Scott Walker’s disastrous budget and the massive deficit it needlessly inflicted and now they’re following in his footsteps when it comes to leaving behind the mess they made as they fund raise out of state,” Democratic Party of Wisconsin Chair Mike Tate said Wednesday. “Apparently Wisconsin Republicans need to go to Washington, D.C. to find anyone who can summon up support for their radical agenda that harms our middle class economy.”