Texas Gov. Rick Perry is on the radio in California this week, criticizing the Golden State in a new advertisement and urging businesses to flee to Texas.
"Building a business is tough, but I hear building a business in California is next to impossible," the Republican governor says in an ad his office announced Monday. "This is Texas Gov. Rick Perry, and I have a message for California businesses: Come check out Texas."
Bashing deep blue California is a traditional sport for Republican politicians, and Perry, a former presidential hopeful, has frequently boasted about luring companies from here.
In the ad, Perry cheers the Lone Star State's "low taxes, sensible regulations and fair legal system."
The ad, airing on six stations throughout the state, is the latest in a back-and-forth between Perry and California Gov. Jerry Brown about which state is better for business.
The ad buy is relatively small, at about $24,000, but its announcement gained widespread coverage in Texas and California on Monday. Perry's office said in a release that the 30-second radio spot was paid for by TexasOne, a public-private partnership promoting Texas as a business destination.
Brown has touted California's green energy industries and venture capital investments, and he has criticized Texas for its relatively large percentage of people working at or below the minimum wage, which Brown said hurts families.
On Monday, Brown dismissed Perry's radio ads as nothing more than a "few tricks," doubtful they would send businesspeople packing.
"Do you think a few tricks from a politician is going to make any difference?" the Democratic governor told reporters at a business event in Los Angeles, according to a transcript provided by Brown's office.
"People invest their money where these big things have occurred. The ideas, the structures, the climate, the opportunity is right here on the Pacific Rim."
Asked by a reporter about Texans "coming here and poaching," Brown replied, "Of course they're coming here. So are the British coming here, so are the French, so are the Russians, so are the Chinese.
"Everybody with half a brain is coming to California. So Texas, come on over!"
