A single line deep in an Associated Press story about Mitt Romney’s donors is causing a ripple through Wisconsin today.

The piece outlines the Romney’s vast fundraising network and speculates on where the 2012 presidential nominee’s money people will land come 2016.

It isn’t surprising that Romney’s contributors wouldn’t naturally gravitate towards anti-establishment contenders like Sens. Rand Paul or Ted Cruz, but the third name listed is likely to cause some shivers in Madison:

While Romney didn’t name names, donors privately suggest that they’d likely avoid conservative firebrands like Paul or Texas Sen. Ted Cruz, or those like Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker who have been critical of Romney’s campaign. Romney’s network has shown an early interest in Rubio in particular.

Walker was a vocal critique of Romney’s campaign in the months leading up to the election, saying the strategy mistakenly relied on distaste with President Obama without offering an attractive alternative.

“I think there’s a lot of caution. I think the mistake that they’ve made is the feeling like it can just be a referendum on the president,” he said in July of 2012.

A month prior, the Wisconsin governor said Romney needed to develop a more cogent economic message in order to carry the Badger State.

While the media has largely focused on the lingering tensions between the Romney camp and New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie, following his embrace of Obama in the aftermath of Hurricane Sandy, this is the first mention of a strain with Walker.

The line has already generated a full story by a Wisconsin radio station, which chose the headline: “Report: Gov. Walker’s presidential fundraising future uncertain at best.”

Walker’s established a national fundraising network of his own as a result of the 2012 recall attempt, but a rift with Romney’s squad could make inroads with new donors more burdensome in the early stages of a campaign.

As an aside, it’s also welcomed news for Marco Rubio.

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