The special of the day in the Minnesota governor's race is still waiters' tips.

Last week, Republican Tom Emmer earned the ire of many restaurant workers and perhaps a lifetime of bad service by saying he supported a so-called "tip credit," which would allow tipped employees to earn less than the legal minimum wage, assuming they'd make up the difference with tips. He said some waiters earn $100,000 a year.

DFL candidate Margaret Anderson Kelliher response might get her some free desserts. She said: Let's raise the minumum wage for everyone.

While Emmer Wednesday is planning a "townhall meeting with servers...to listen to their concerns regarding wages, tips, taxes and health care" to help clear the tables, Kelliher has different order.

On Tuesday, she'll hold an afternoon news conference featuring "servers standing with Margaret." It will include a St. Paul waitress who started a Facebook fan page called "Minnesota Service Industry for Margaret Anderson Kelliher."

If there's a low turnout election this year, waiters and waitresses might just make a difference in the race. According to the Department of Employment and Economic Development, there are 45,250 waiters and waitresses in Minnesota. They earn an average of $9.36 an hour, or about $19,000 a year if they work five days a week 52 weeks of the year.