Bond backs Hulshof, narrows competition

In addition to Bond, several state representatives have endorsed Hulshof.

By Andrew Denney

Published June 4, 2008

With two months left until Missouri’s race for the Governor’s mansion becomes an inter-party battle, competition between the two major contenders for the Republican nomination has intensified.

On May 31 at the Missouri Republican Convention held in Branson, U.S. Sen. Kit Bond, R-Missouri, officially endorsed gubernatorial hopeful U.S. Rep. Kenny Hulshof, R-Missouri, in the race.

He is running against State Treasurer Sarah Steelman for the GOP nomination.

In a recorded broadcast, Bond said Hulshof was a “bi-partisan problem solver” with the right qualities to fill the state’s top office.

“In an era at times characterized by slash-and-burn politics, we need a governor that stands apart,” Bond said during his announcement.

Hulshof said he was “humbled” and “elated” by the endorsement from the four-term senator and said the endorsement should help him gain more recognition across the state.

Steelman said Bond’s endorsement of Hulshof was a way of protecting the “Washington culture” of pork-barrel spending and also made note of Bond’s endorsements of Gerald Ford in 1976, when he lost a re-election bid for president against Ronald Reagan, and former New York City mayor Rudy Giuliani, who vied for a GOP nomination in the 2008 presidential race but dropped out after several poor showings in early nomination contests.

“If the decision is politicians versus the people, I’m on the people’s side,” Steelman said.

Throughout the race, Hulshof has received endorsements from several other members of the Republican establishment in the state, including State Reps. Ed Robb, R-Columbia, Steve Hobbs, R-Mexico, and House Speaker Rod Jetton, R-Marble Hill.

According to a Survey USA poll released May 19, Hulshof lead Steelman by four points among Republican voters. The survey said 32 percent of Republican voters in the state were undecided.

Gov. Matt Blunt has not endorsed either of the Republican candidates and has focused his attention on attacking Attorney General Jay Nixon, the presumptive Democratic nominee in the governor’s race.

Earlier this week, Blunt criticized Nixon for not joining ten other state attorneys general in denouncing the decision by the California Supreme Court to recognize marriages by same-sex couples.

Nixon sided with the other attorneys general Tuesday, and Blunt issued a release that stated the attorney general had “finally” joined the effort with his contemporaries.

“Though it is nearly a week overdue, I am glad Nixon finally answered my call and joined with other attorneys general as he should have done last Thursday,” Blunt said.

Blunt and Nixon have also found points of contention with each other in recent months regarding the handling of e-mail tapes by members of Blunt’s office.

E-mail records were requested from Blunt’s office last year by the media, but the requests were denied.

Nixon assigned an independent investigative team to look into the matter, and the investigators have brought suit against Blunt’s office.