Texas Gov. Rick Perry to Visit Maryland in Bid to Recruit Businesses

By Lucy Westcott, Capital News Service

WASHINGTON - Texas Gov. Rick Perry is taking Gov. Martin O’Malley up on his offer to visit Maryland after criticizing the state for high taxes in radio and TV ads that started running Thursday.

Perry will hold meetings with a number of private companies in Maryland on Wednesday. His office is still working on the specifics of his schedule and did not disclose which companies he plans to meet with.

In April, Perry attempted to lure Maryland gun makers, including Beretta, to Texas following the passage of new gun control legislation, which goes into effect Oct. 1.

In the commercial, the Texas governor criticizes Maryland’s high taxes for businesses and families and accuses O’Malley of turning Maryland into a “tax and fee state.”

“When you grow tired of Maryland taxes squeezing every dime out of your business, think Texas, where we’ve created more jobs than all the other states combined,” Perry says in the ad.

The $500,000 ad campaign is paid for by TexasOne, a public-private partnership that markets Texas as a business destination. TexasOne will cover the cost of Perry’s travel and accommodations.

In a statement, O’Malley referred to the ad as a publicity stunt and invited Perry to visit Maryland to see the “better choices” that have led to the state’s low college tuition cost, support of innovation and entrepreneurship and high ranking public schools.

Perry has launched ads targeting Illinois, California, Missouri, Connecticut and New York since April, claiming that Texas is a better state for business. The governor has visited each state after releasing his ad campaigns, his office said.  

Perry ran for the 2012 Republican nomination for president, but his campaign came to a halt not long after he forgot the name of one of the cabinet-level agencies he would abolish if elected. He is considered a likely candidate in 2016.

O’Malley is widely expected to run for the Democratic nomination for president in 2016.