In a rematch of the 2010 gubernatorial election, Connecticut's Democratic Gov. Dannel P. Malloy is hoping to influence Latino voters ahead of the midterm Election Day with campaign events with Puerto Rico Gov. Alejandro Garcia Padilla.

García Padilla visited Connecticut towns with Malloy on Tuesday, as the latter is on the ballot against Republican candidate Thomas Foley. Malloy and Foley previously ran in the state's 2010 gubernatorial election with the Democratic candidate winning by 0.5 percent of the vote. The 2014 gubernatorial is also a narrow election based on polling data, and the Latino vote could make an impact.

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, Connecticut's population is home to 14.7 percent of Latinos, nearly the rate of the national average of 17.1 percent. According to the Hartford Courant, the governors scheduled to visit Connecticut towns with large Puerto Rican populations including Bridgeport, Hartford, New Haven and Waterbury.

"I would love to see the Latino vote represent 7 or 8 percent of the whole voting population. We build it into our models at about 6 percent," Malloy said to reporters, adding that one of the reasons he invited Garcia Padilla was to potentially increase the Latino voter turnout.

"The governor and I had a conversation today. One of the reasons I asked him to come, and the reason he was willing to come, was to try to drive that percentage up by 1 full percent, maybe 2," said Malloy.

Garcia Padilla, serving his second year as Puerto Rican governor, spoke about Malloy and credited him for increasing the Latino high school graduation rate, lowering crime and improving access to education and health care.

In a speech made in Spanish, but translated via the Associate Press (AP), Garcia Padilla said, "We the Puerto Ricans, we the Latinos, Dominican brothers, we have to know that here is a man who supports us," Garcia said from a Hartford bakery. "Let me tell you, in Washington every time the president has to push programs in favor of Latinos, Dan Malloy is the first to stand up among governors and defend the Latino community."

The Puerto Rican governor added, "The Latino community needs to go out and vote. I'm here to endorse, I'm here to promote, I'm here to ask every Puerto Rican, every Dominican, every Mexican, every Latino go out and vote for Dan Malloy next Tuesday."

During the 2010 gubernatorial election, Malloy received most of the votes from cities despite admitting he didn't spend too much campaign time in urban areas. Exit polling by the AP found three out of four city voters supported Malloy, and the Democratic incumbent is confident the tide won't change in Foley's favor.

Foley campaign spokesman Mark McNulty said the Republican candidate's platform of lower taxes, more jobs and better-paying jobs has been heard by urban voters, as well as voters statewide.

"Dan Malloy can say whatever he wants, but it doesn't change the fact that he raised taxes by $1.8 billion and he's presided over one of the slowest recoveries from the Great Recession in the entire country," McNulty said, via the AP. "Everybody's feeling it and everyone knows it and that's why we're going to do better in the cities."

Malloy is also scheduled to have campaign events with former Puerto Rico Gov. Luis Fortuno on Friday.

The nonprofit Hispanic Federation previously held a press conference claiming Foley, Malloy and Viscondi have ignored Latinos. During a speech from Connecticut's state Capitol, Hispanic Federation President Jose Calderon said, "At the end of the day we are going to decide what the next governor and the next General Assembly looks like."

Polling results by CBS News, New York Times and YouGov has Foley and Malloy tied at 40 percent. Meanwhile, independent candidate Joe Visconti received 3 percent of the poll.

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For the latest updates, follow Latin Post's Michael Oleaga on Twitter: @EditorMikeO or contact via email: m.oleaga@latinpost.com.

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