Gov. Andrew Cuomo took his campaign for a second term to the Caribbean Friday with stops in the Dominican Republic and Puerto Rico — two places with significant ties to the state Cuomo governs.
Following a meeting Friday with Dominican President Danilo Medina, Cuomo said he wants to encourage a closer relationship and will return on a trade mission if he wins re-election next month.
"I always felt a special connection with the Dominican Republic," Cuomo said. "In New York the Dominican community has been growing and is becoming more and more important economically and politically and is this development that we want to encourage and continue."
During their meeting at the presidential palace Cuomo said he and Medina discussed ways to boost trade and the possibility of higher education partnerships.
Asked why he was taking the trip so close to the Nov. 4 election, Cuomo said he wanted to show Dominicans in New York his "respect for their community and their origins."
Cuomo plans to visit San Juan, Puerto Rico, on Friday afternoon before heading home.
More than a million New Yorkers are of Puerto Rican or Dominican heritage.
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Cuomo has said he'll lead trade missions to several nations to increase foreign trade if he wins his Nov. 4 matchup with Republican Rob Astorino. China, Italy, Mexico, Canada and Israel.
