New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie says he's sure Illinois businesses will consider relocating to the Garden State.
Why?
Because Christie says Gov. Pat Quinn is "a disaster," the Associated Press reported Friday.
The New Jersey governor made the comment during a question-and-answer session regarding ads for Illinois running Monday in New Jersey business publications. The ads encourage companies to leave New Jersey for Illinois.
It's a similar strategy to one Christie used following an income tax hike in Illinois.
Following the hike, Christie took out a string of print and radio ads, featuring himself, to woo employers to New Jersey. In February, Christie came to Illinois on the sly to discuss the “economic climate, challenges and obstacles” facing the state's businesses.
One business took action before Christie arrived. The founder of Jimmy John's moved to Florida following the Illinois tax hike and debated taking the company’s headquarters there too.
A Quinn spokeswoman told the AP the Illinois governor is too focused on the budget to make personal attacks on Christie. In the past, though, the Illinois governor has called Christie's advances "political theater."
"I don’t know why anybody would listen to him," Quinn said earlier this year. "New Jersey’s way of balancing the budget is not to pay their pension payment, not to deliver on property tax relief that was promised, to fire teachers, to take an infrastructure project -- building a tunnel that had already been started -- and end it and have to pay money back to the federal government. I don't need that kind of advice from that guy."
The latest wave of pro-Illinois ads is being paid for by the advocacy group For a Better Chicago, the AP reports.
Christie has said he will not raise Jersey taxes.
