ALBERT LEA — The Republican candidate for the 1st District Congressional seat stopped in Albert Lea on Monday to talk about regulations and other small-business concerns with the owners of one local business.

With only a week to go until the general election, Jim Hagedorn of Blue Earth said he thinks the district — and the country — needs to move in a new direction.

Talking with Granicrete Minnesota owners Tom and Jean Eaton, Hagedorn accused his opponent U.S. Rep. Tim Walz, DFL-Mankato, of always voting with President Barack Obama on key issues and turning down opportunities for debates.

“He’s part of the problem,” Hagedorn said.

He said Walz voted against regulatory reform, while he thinks statutes and regulations should be reviewed after a set period of time to make sure they still apply.

Hagedorn said he would be supportive of waiving taxes for three to five years for businesses starting up and talked about the need for savings in energy costs and tax simplification.

“Congress and Washington has to be more sensitive to the needs of small business,” he said, describing them as the “backbone” of the economy.

He also talked about the need to repeal the Affordable Care Act, known as Obamacare, and said he recently talked with the leaders of the Mayo Clinic who have major problems with it.

In addition to change on the national level, he said there needs to be better leadership on the state level.

The Eatons talked about the success they’ve seen since starting their business in 2008 in the business incubator in the Albert Lea Business Development Center. They have also since opened a showroom and training center in Brooklyn Park and have been recognized as the No. 1 distributor in the whole company, Jean Eaton said.

They work primarily in Minnesota and northern Iowa but have trained over 300 people

Granicrete can be laid over existing countertops, floor and showers and looks like granite. The business has been featured on “I Hate My Kitchen,” through the DIY Network and recently at Culver’s in Owatonna.

Hagedorn said the best part about his campaign has been meeting people.

After his visit in Albert Lea, Hagedorn was planning to stop in Mankato.

Walz campaign spokesman Evan Peterson described Hagedorn’s attacks on Walz as “desperate” and said they were not surprising coming from a candidate who would only create more gridlock and dysfunction in Congress.

“Southern Minnesotans are tired of the political finger-pointing and blame game which is why Tim is focused on working with both sides of the aisle and with local leaders to grow our economy and to get things done like he did with the farm bill,” Peterson said.