Peter Hamby
CNN National Political Reporter
WASHINGTON (CNN) — An independent group supporting Texas Gov. Rick Perry is running a new television ad in Illinois aimed at luring new business to the Lone Star State.
The 30-second commercial stars Perry, standing before the state capitol building in Austin, looking straight to the camera and highlighting Texas’ business-friendly tax and regulatory climate.
“In Texas, we have conservative leadership,” Perry says. “In Illinois, it’s liberal. And there’s a big difference.”
It’s the first state-targeted ad funded by Americans for Economic Freedom, an independent 501(c)4 group created last year by political operatives close to Perry that seeks to promote “states with conservative fiscal leadership and policies.”
It’s not the first time Perry has sought to promote his home state on the Illinois airwaves.
TexasOne, a non-profit group managed by the governor’s office, ran similar business-themed television and radio ads in Illinois last year. That group also purchased ad time in New York, Maryland, California and Missouri — like Illinois, all states with Democratic governors.
Perry happens to be facing off against Illinois’ governor, Pat Quinn, on Friday’s episode of CNN’s “Crossfire.”
The ad will air in Chicago and on national cable.