Gov. Abbott heading to NY on first economic development trip

AUSTIN, Texas (AP) — Republican Gov. Greg Abbott is making New York the first stop on his plans to travel around the U.S. and world to woo companies to Texas.

Abbott will spend Monday and Tuesday in New York promoting the state and meeting with corporate leaders. It continues a hallmark of former Gov. Rick Perry, whose many economic development trips outside Texas also served to further his political ambitions.

Abbott’s office said the governor will meet with leaders of nearly two-dozen corporate entities, but didn’t name specific companies his office might be targeting. Abbott has previously said he will only travel to places where there’s a deal to make.

Critics routinely questioned how much credit Perry’s trips really deserved for companies uprooting to Texas.