— As Governor Jay Nixon continues his “Missouri Works” jobs tour, all the while gearing up for his reelection campaign, his top challenger is hoping to join the conversation about the economy.

Pivoting off a campaign flub involving inconsistencies in his academic record, Republican gubernatorial candidate Dave Spence, a St. Louis packaging executive, announced his five point “Back to Work” policy initiative on Friday afternoon.

Among Spence’s solutions are tax credit reform, reforms to employment law and the judicial system, infrastructure improvements, and a reexamination of prevailing wage laws. Additionally, Spence said he would support a “proven… private sector leader” to run the Missouri Department of Economic Development.

“For the past 27 years, I have been building a business from the ground up and creating quality jobs. For the past 25 years, Jay Nixon has been living off the taxpayers,” Spence said. “With 250,000 Missourians out of work, clearly it’s time for some new, bold leadership and fresh ideas.”

Nixon’s new plan, an expansion of his administration’s “Strategic Initiative for Economic Growth” which he plans to present to the General Assembly during his State of the State address next week, focuses on further expanding exports, expanding the Missouri automotive industry, and investing in technology training programs and hiring of veterans.