By Mike Rose, staff writer

AUSTIN — In the midst of her campaign for governor, Minnesota House Speaker Margaret Anderson Kelliher stopped at Austin’s Hormel Institute Wednesday to promote job growth — and to say why she thinks she can win the race for the state’s top office despite being outspent.
Kelliher — the first woman to gain major-party endorsement in a Minnesota gubernatorial election — used the visit to promote an issue that she believes will be the key to the DFL primary, a race that has the speaker pitted against two well-financed opponents.
“There is no more important issue to Minnesotans than the economy and job creation,” Kelliher said. “The next governor’s priority needs to be jobs, jobs, jobs.”
Kelliher said a particular focus needs to be on cutting-edge — and high-paying — jobs like those at the institute. The House speaker seemed impressed with the facility during her tour, as she got the chance to see a cancer cell in 3D and one of the world’s fastest super computers.
“This is a shining star of job creation in Minnesota,” Kelliher said after her tour. “These are good-paying, high-quality jobs adding to the community.”
Kelliher’s “jobs tour” comes on the heels of remarks made by state Rep. Tom Emmer — the Republican Party’s endorsed candidate for governor — about potentially restructuring how tips factor into someone’s pay.
Initially, Emmer suggested that tips be counted as part of the hourly pay of minimum-wage workers, which ignited a backlash from those who feared this would reduce overall pay. Since then, the representative has tried to clarify his stance, saying that he never suggested that he is in favor of cutting wages. On Tuesday, Emmer even proposed eliminating Minnesota income taxes on the first $20,000 earned in tips.
“We don’t need to count in taxes generated off of servers’ tips,” he told the Associated Press, adding that the extra money, “belongs to these people.”
However, Kelliher has been critical of Emmer’s remarks, and she maintained her position on Wednesday.
“The last thing we need in the state of Minnesota is to lower wages,” Kelliher said, noting that she proposed an increase to the state’s minimum wage in 2008, though the measure was vetoed by Gov. Tim Pawlenty.
While discussing the dollars and cents of the working world, the gubernatorial candidate also talked about money on the campaign trail. To date, Kelliher’s DFL challengers — former U.S. Sen. Mark Dayton and former state Rep. Matt Entenza — have spent roughly $4 million and $3 million, respectively, the Star Tribune reported Wednesday. By comparison, Kelliher has raised a little more than $1 million.
Kelliher said she fully expected both challengers to spend a lot during the campaign, as they have significantly more personal wealth than she does. However, the House speaker said that doesn’t mean she can’t win the primary, which looms on Aug. 10, or the general election on Nov. 2.
The key, Kelliher said, will be good, old-fashioned door knocking.
“This is a people-powered campaign,” she said. “Nobody can buy a ground game. It will win in August and it will win in November.”