Republican 1st District U.S. congressional candidate Randy Demmer stopped at HyVee in Austin Monday to speak with voters as part of his final 22-county campaign tour.

“(Voting is) our responsibility,” Demmer said. “It’s very, very important to go out and express our concerns and express our opinions.”

Demmer said one of the messages he wanted to give people on the final leg of the campaign is that democratic incumbent Tim Walz supports big government. Demmer said big government leads to increased spending and mounting debt.

“The massive government spending … and the tax increases, the additional expense of cap and trade and of course this health care takeover is really having a chilling effect on the ability of private businesses to hire people as they try to grow,” Demmer said. “People want to have a job … and we need policies that allow those businesses to do that.”

The congressional candidate said he has met countless voters on the campaign trail who are concerned primarily about the job market. He said if he is elected, he wants to create jobs in the private sector.

“Tax increases, cap and trade and the health care takeover: all of those things are huge potential liabilities for these businesses (in the private sector) and they’re concerned about expanding until they know that those things are not going to happen,” Demmer said. “We need stability.”

Being from Hayfield and having an agricultural background has helped his campaign gain local support, according to Demmer. He said he feels confident going into election day, especially because so many voters are most worried about the deficit and he has proposed ideas for halting the spending.

“I think whether you’re a Democrat or a Republican, there is great concern out there right now about this spending going on,” he said. “We’re out of control, and there’s real concern about where that’s taking us as a country. I’m very gratified that people are willing to step up and say, ‘we’re not satisfied’ and then make that change.”