Rivalry renewed: Indiana tries to pry Connecticut businesses away

A full-page ad taken out by the state of Indiana in the Wall Street Journal Wednesday, June 10, 2015, is part of an effort by the Hoosier State Gov. Mike Pence to pry businesses away from the home state of Connecticut rival Dannel P. Malloy. Source: Indiana Economic Development Corporation

A full-page ad taken out by the state of Indiana in the Wall Street Journal Wednesday, June 10, 2015, is part of an effort by the Hoosier State Gov. Mike Pence to pry businesses away from the home state of Connecticut rival Dannel P. Malloy. Source: Indiana Economic Development Corporation

The Hatfields and McCoys of the nation’s governors — Connecticut’s Dan Malloy and Indiana’s Mike Pence — are at it again.

Pence’s administration on Wednesday tried to show up Malloy over rising taxes on corporations in the Constitution State, taking out a full-page ad in the Wall Street Journal that makes a less-than-subtle recruiting pitch toward three of Connecticut’s flagship companies.

“GE, Aetna and Travelers: We offer our support in the wake of Connecticut’s looming tax increase, because friends don’t let friends pay higher taxes,” the ad said.

Malloy, who has been widely criticized by business leaders for brokering a budget that raises taxes by $700 million on corporations over the next two years, is an easy target for Pence. In late March, Malloy ordered a boycott of state employee travel to Indiana to protest Pence’s support of a controversial religious freedom law that Connecticut’s governor said would allow businesses to discriminate against gays and lesbians. Indiana quickly amended the law, but not before Malloy called Pence a “bigot” on national television.

Saying that Connecticut has one of the lowest effective corporate tax rates in the U.S., Malloy’s office fired back at Pence’s bold overture Wednesday with sharp rhetoric.

“While we’ve grown more than 75,000 jobs over the past several years, Indiana’s focus is on passing laws that discriminate against sexual orientation,” Malloy spokesman Devon Puglia told Hearst Connecticut Media. “While we have one of the most attractive corporate tax structures in America, Indiana passes some of the most discriminatory laws in the nation. That’s ultimately the contrast we’re talking about here.”

Indiana’s full-page ad closes with the slogan, “Indiana A State that Works.” Before Malloy was governor, he was the longtime mayor of Stamford, which brands itself as “The City That Works.”

Connecticut Gov. Dan Malloy, left, talks with Indiana Gov. Mike Pence, right, during a meeting on jobs and education at the National Governors Association convention Saturday, July 12, 2014, in Nashville, Tenn. (AP Photo/Mark Humphrey)

Connecticut Gov. Dan Malloy, left, talks with Indiana Gov. Mike Pence, right, during a meeting on jobs and education at the National Governors Association convention Saturday, July 12, 2014, in Nashville, Tenn. (AP Photo/Mark Humphrey)

Neil Vigdor