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Texas Gov. Perry Begins 5-Day Job-Poaching Visit To New York, Connecticut

NEW YORK (CBSNewYork/AP) - Texas Gov. Rick Perry has kicked off his northeast tour where he'll make stops in New York and Conn. in an effort to entice businesses to move to the Lone Star State.

Ahead of his arrival in New York on Sunday, the Republican former presidential candidate launched a TV and radio ad campaign trumpeting his state's record on small businesses.

In $600,000 worth of radio spots that begin airing Wednesday in New York City and Albany, he scoffs at the state's "'new' New York'' promotional campaign.

Perry says: "The new New York sounds a lot like the old New York. Higher taxes. Stifling regulations. Bureaucrats telling you whether you can even drink a Big Gulp.''

The TV ads feature Dallas Cowboy great Emmitt Smith and filmmaker Robert Rodriguez singing Texas' praises. Perry says into the camera: "Texas is calling. Your opportunity awaits.''

Perry's five-day visit to New York and Connecticut officially began Sunday.

It follows his recent job-poaching trips to California and Illinois, which also featured ads criticizing those states.

Perry's latest tour already includes $1 million in television ads promoting Texas' pro-business, low-regulation climate. The radio ads will air on nine stations.

The president of West Hartford-based Colt Manufacturing said Friday he will be pleased to host a visit by Gov. Rick Perry of Texas, a state he called a loyal supporter of the gun maker.

A number of gun makers in Connecticut have said they are looking into leaving after the state passed some of the toughest gun laws in the country, a response to last year's massacre at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown in which 20 children and six educators were gunned down.

Colt president Dennis Veilleux said he welcomes Perry's visit Monday morning.

"While we have been proud to call Connecticut home for 175 years, as we look to future growth we have a responsibility to consider all options that ensure we remain competitive and meet the needs and expectations of our customers,'' Veilleux said.

In March, Veilleux closed down his Connecticut factory for a day and bused 400 of his workers to the state Capitol in Hartford so they could personally urge lawmakers not to pass gun control legislation that they say could risk their livelihoods.

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(TM and © Copyright 2013 CBS Radio Inc. and its relevant subsidiaries. CBS RADIO and EYE Logo TM and Copyright 2013 CBS Broadcasting Inc. Used under license. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)

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