Hulshof defeats Steelman in Mo. GOP governor's primary

KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- Congressman Kenny Hulshof defeated state Treasurer Sarah Steelman on Tuesday in a Missouri Republican gubernatorial primary that had seemed unthinkable a few months ago.

Attorney General Jay Nixon easily won the Democratic nomination for governor with 85 percent of the vote.

Hulshof received about 49 percent of the vote, to Steelman's 45 percent -- a margin of more than 15,000 votes -- with 98 percent of precincts reporting results.

Missouri's gubernatorial primaries became unexpectedly important after GOP Gov. Matt Blunt stunned supporters and foes alike in January by announcing he would not seek re-election. Hulshof and Steelman both quickly scrapped their own re-election plans to get into the governor's race.

After repeatedly criticizing him during their campaign, Steelman called Hulshof with a gracious concession Tuesday night and said the two planned to meet soon. Hulshof relished the victory in what he called "a very spirited, tough primary."

"This is the first victory party of the year, but ladies and gentlemen, this won't be the last victory party of the year," Hulshof told cheering Republicans in Columbia as he looked ahead to a matchup against Nixon.

A media poll taken in early July showed Nixon with a lead over Hulshof or Steelman.

He had been fundraising and preparing for a couple of years for a challenge against Blunt. With a slightly retooled focus, Nixon has continued to campaign against many of Blunt's policies -- particularly his 2005 Medicaid cuts, which have been backed by both Hulshof and Steelman.

Nixon said "it doesn't really matter" who wins the Republican primary.

"They've both embraced his failed policies, so I think the general election is going to be an election about clearly different priorities, regardless of which one of their standard bearers makes it through tonight," Nixon said shortly before addressing what he said was about 500 supporters at a Kansas City rally.

Hulshof racked up particularly large victory margins in his 9th Congressional District, carrying as much as 90 percent of the vote in some of those rural northeast Missouri counties. He also fared well in St. Louis County. That combination counteracted Steelman's strength in her south-central Missouri base and in the Kansas City area.

"It was tough for us to compete all across Missouri," Steelman said in an interview with the AP shortly before addressing supporters in Jefferson City. "We were competitive where we spent a lot of time and resources. You just have so much time and resources available, and we kind of ran out."

Steelman had loaned her campaign $770,000 -- about one-third of the total she had reported raising about a week before the election. She said she expects to simply write the loan off.

In the Republican primary, Hulshof was riding the establishment's support against the populist appeals of Steelman.

Hulshof, 50, of Columbia, is a 12-year congressman who had the inside edge from the moment Blunt backed out of the race. Blunt gave Hulshof a 45-minute heads up about his announcement; he left Steelman out of the loop.

Since then, Hulshof received the endorsements of virtually all of Missouri's top elected Republicans except Blunt, who remained officially neutral. He also won the endorsements of Missouri's leading business and industry groups, which have not traditionally picked sides in primaries.

Steelman, 50, of Rolla, had announced her treasurer's re-election bid just hours before Blunt's stunning news. She switched course a few days later and adopted her "Power to the People" campaign for governor.

As Hulshof built up to the primary with a 10-day tour of 26 businesses around Missouri, Steelman embarked on a 13-day, 59-town bus tour that twisted along Missouri's two-lane back roads.

Hulshof stressed economic issues, presenting himself as the best candidate to build upon what he described as an improved business climate under Blunt. He also promoted himself as best able to take on Nixon.

Steelman repeatedly criticized Hulshof's support of what she described as wasteful spending earmarks in Congress. She gained traction -- particularly with livestock farmers -- by calling for the repeal of Missouri's ethanol mandate on gasoline.

Steelman claimed the ethanol requirement -- enacted by Blunt and the Republican-led Legislature -- was helping to drive up the cost of food, animal feed and even gas. Hulshof, who raises corn, countered that ethanol was helping to keep gas prices from going even higher.

Hulshof and Steelman both generally defended Blunt's 2005 Medicaid cuts, which eliminated or reduced benefits for hundreds of thousands of low-income Missourians. They agreed with Blunt that it was necessary to balance the budget.

Nixon has made restoration of the Medicaid cuts his top priority, if elected governor.