GOP Lieutenant Governor candidate Carol Molnau emphasized her commitment to greater Minnesota in her visit to Albert Lea Wednesday.

“I am a farmer. I don’t just visit farms each day, I actually live on one,” Molnau said. “That’s important, because we just went through four years of an administration that didn’t look too far outside the metro area. And we really do need someone who has a strong voice for the greater Minnesota, and that can come out of the governor’s office and it should.”

Molnau is in her fifth term in the House representing Carver, Sibley, Scott and Le Sueur counties. She has been working closely with Governor candidate Tim Pawlenty as an Assistant Majority Leader.

Her nomination for the Lieutenant Governor strikes a balance with Pawlenty’s metro-based background.

Molnau stressed a job creation by providing a business-friendly environment. To do this she emphasized using tax-free zones, one of the proposals Pawlenty has made for empowering the rural Minnesota economy.

She also mentioned that the GOP administration would pursue strengthening rural transportation infrastructure by enabling the state to employ bonding funds for road projects.

Disparity in school funding was another issue Molnau discussed.

“We have school districts in the metro area that receive $11,000 per student, and folks out here get about $6,000. There has to be some equalization of that formula so that all students are treated fairly,” she said.