Washington - Connecticut Gov. Dannel P. Malloy met with President Obama at the White House on Friday and invited him to visit Connecticut.

Malloy, emerging from a closed-door meeting that the Democratic governors had with Obama and the administration's economic team, said he also told the president about the state's progress in creating jobs and noted that United Technologies Corp. has been honored for spending more than $1 billion to educate its workforce.

Malloy is in Washington to attend the National Governor's Association's annual winter meeting.

"I'm sure he will accept the invitation," Malloy said.

UTC was recently praised by the National Association of Independent Colleges and Universities for its "Employee Scholar Program."

Malloy, wearing a dark suit and striped green tie, and the other Democratic governors competed to see who could give reporters the most up-beat assessment of the economy and the Obama administration's efforts to create jobs.

"This was one of the most inspirational meetings I've ever attended in the White House," Malloy exulted.

Referring to Obama as "the leader of the free world," Malloy said the president "has accomplished things most people didn't think possible" and he praised the president for having a "laser-like focus on job creation."

Asked about Obama's re-election prospects, Malloy replied: "If American voters vote on jobs, this man is going to win by 75 percent."

The national unemployment rate in January stood at 8.3 percent, compared with 8.5 percent in December and 9.1 percent in September.

Tonight, Obama and Mrs. Obama will host Malloy, his wife, Cathy Malloy, and the other governors for dinner at the White House.

On Sunday, Malloy - chairman of the NGA's natural resources committee - will preside at a committee meeting focused on world energy.

Panelists for the session include Pulitzer Prize winner Dr. Daniel Yergin, chairman of IHS Cambridge Energy Research Associates; Daniel C. Esty, commissioner of the Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection; and Reed E. Hundt, chief executive officer of the Coalition for Green Capital.

On Monday, Obama will meet the governors at the White House.