Kenny Hulshof
| Kenny Hulshof | |
|---|---|
 |
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| Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Missouri's 9th district |
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| In office January 3, 1997 – January 3, 2009 |
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| Preceded by | Harold Volkmer |
| Succeeded by | Blaine Luetkemeyer |
| Personal details | |
| Born | May 22, 1958 Sikeston, Missouri |
| Political party | Republican |
| Spouse(s) | Renee Hulshof |
| Residence | Columbia, Missouri |
| Alma mater | University of Missouri, University of Mississippi School of Law |
| Occupation | Attorney |
| Religion | Roman Catholic |
Kenneth C. "Kenny" Hulshof (/ˈhʌlsɒf/; born May 22, 1958) is a politician from the U.S. state of Missouri, and represented Missouri's 9th congressional district in the United States House of Representatives. He was the unsuccessful nominee of the Republican Party for Governor of Missouri in the 2008 election.
Contents |
Biography[edit]
Hulshof was born in Sikeston, Missouri, and attended the University of Missouri. Hulshof earned his J.D. from the University of Mississippi School of Law. Prior to serving in Congress, Hulshof worked in the public defender's office and as a special prosecutor for the Missouri attorney general's office. As a special prosecutor, Hulshof was detailed to capital cases, a matter he has highlighted in his campaigns.
In 1992, Hulshof sought to be nominated by the Boone County Republican Committee as a replacement for Prosecuting Attorney Joe Moseley, who had won election to a legislative seat and had to resign to take his new post. Hulshof was defeated by Kevin Crane. In 1994 the Ninth District Republican Committee selected Hulshof to replace University of Missouri political science professor Rick Hardy as the GOP's candidate for Congress (Hardy withdrew shortly after winning the primary due to exhaustion). Despite a late start in the race, Hulshof captured 45% of the vote and nearly beat the incumbent, Democrat Harold Volkmer.
Hulshof immediately began preparing to challenge Volkmer again in 1996. Hulshof had to first win the Republican primary against Harry Eggleston. Hulshof won the primary by 168 out of 38,000 votes cast. During the general election, Volkmer attacked Hulshof as being a puppet of Newt Gingrich and Hulshof said that Volkmer voted twenty times to raise taxes in twenty years. Hulshof won the election by a 49%-47% margin, and was easily re-elected in subsequent elections until 2008, when he did not run for re-election. Hulshof made known his desire to run for Governor of Missouri in 2004, but in the end withdrew in favor of then-Secretary of State Matt Blunt, who won.
Hulshof's voting record in the House was fairly conservative; among other issues, he has voted against abortion and same-sex marriage, while supporting the death penalty and the Patriot Act. [1]
Hulshof is Roman Catholic, and is active in the St. Thomas More Newman Center on the campus of his alma mater, the University of Missouri.
In 2005, Hulshof joined the all-Congressional band the Second Amendments, to play for U.S. troops stationed overseas during the period between Christmas and New Year's Eve. Hulshof played the drums.
There had been rumors in Washington and back in Hulshof's district in Missouri that he might leave Congress to become the University of Missouri president.[2] Hulshof ended up confirming the rumors after his candidacy became common knowledge. However, the University of Missouri Board of Curators ended up voting to offer the position to another University of Missouri graduate, who ultimately turned down the offer. The Board selected Gary D. Forsee for the President of the University of Missouri System in 2008.[3]
With the news that former Missouri Governor Matt Blunt would not be seeking re-election in 2008, Hulshof announced on January 29 that he would run for Governor. Hulshof defeated State Treasurer Sarah Steelman in the Missouri Republican Gubernatorial primary, held on August 5, 2008, winning with a margin of 49% to 45%, with Scott Long receiving 5% and Jen Seivers 1%. Hulshof was defeated by four term Missouri Attorney General Jay Nixon, the Democratic Nominee, in the General Election held on November 4, 2008. [4]
Hulshof now works for the law firm Polsinelli Shughart.
Controversies[edit]
At least two cses in which Kenny Hulshof served as prosecuting attorney have been overturned on judicial review. In the first case Hulshof prosecuted Joshua Kezer for murder. He tried the case without physical evidence, DNA, fingerprints, a murder weapon, or any eyewitnesses.[1] Kezer was convicted and sentenced to 60 years in prison, despite the fact that Hulshof withheld key evidence and embellished details in his closing arguments.[2] Finally, after serving 14 years in prison for a crime he did not commit, Kezer was set free after a Cole County Circuit judge overturned the conviction.[3] The judge strongly criticized Hulshof for his courtroom conduct and for withholding evidence in the case, stating that "We now know that none of what Mr. Hulshof said in the final summary was true".
The judge in the Dale Helmig case said Kenny Hulshof was guilty of misconduct as the prosecutor. Dale Helmig was found innocent after serving 15 years in prison.
The second case, overturned by the Missouri Supreme Court in January, 2013, involved the 1990 murder of a Livingston County woman in her home near Chillicothe.[4] Mark Woodworth of Chillicothe, then 16 years old, was convicted in the shooting death of 40 year old Cathy Robertson as well as the wounding of her husband. Kenny Hulshof, at the time an assistant Missouri Attorney General, was brought in as a special prosecutor in the original trial.[5]
On June 4, 2011, Hulshof was questioned regarding mishandling and withholding of evidence that could have named another possible suspect.[5] The evidence, including a series of letters written to the original trial judge and to Hulshof by Roberts' husband Lyndel, failed to be delivered to Woodworth's defense attorneys.[4] On January 8, 2013, the Missouri Supreme Court ordered that the prosecutor, in this case, Hulshof, withheld exculpatory evidence and "[t]hat (Woodworth's) convictions be vacated and orders that (Woodworth) be discharged from the State's custody 60 days from the date the mandate issues in this case unless within that time the State files in the circuit court an election to retry him."[6]
Committee assignments[edit]
Electoral history[edit]
1996[edit]
| Missouri 9th Congressional District Election, 1996[7] | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
| Republican | Kenny Hulshof | 123,580 | 49.4% | ||
| Democratic | Harold Volkmer (Incumbent) | 117,685 | 47.0% | ||
| Libertarian | Mitchell Moore | 7,140 | 2.9% | ||
| Natural Law | Douglas Rexford | 1,825 | 0.7% | ||
| Total votes | 188,305 | 100%% | |||
| Majority | 46,087 | 24.4% | |||
| Turnout | |||||
| Republican gain from Democratic | Swing | ||||
1998[edit]
| Missouri 9th Congressional District Election, 1998[8] | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
| Republican | Kenny Hulshof (Incumbent) | 117,196 | 62.2% | ||
| Democratic | Linda Vogt | 66,861 | 35.5% | ||
| Libertarian | Robert Hoffman | 4,248 | 2.3% | ||
| Total votes | 188,305 | 100%% | |||
| Majority | 46,087 | 24.4% | |||
| Turnout | |||||
| Republican hold | Swing | ||||
2000[edit]
| Missouri 9th Congressional District Election, 2000[9] | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
| Republican | Kenny C. Hulshof (Incumbent) | 172,787 | 59.3% | ||
| Democratic | Steven R. Carroll | 111,662 | 38.3% | ||
| Libertarian | Robert Hoffman | 3,608 | 1.2% | ||
| Green | Devin M. Scherubel | 2,388 | 0.8% | ||
| Reform | Steven D. Dotson | 1,165 | 0.4% | ||
| Total votes | 291,610 | 100%% | |||
| Majority | 53,964 | 18.6% | |||
| Turnout | |||||
| Republican hold | Swing | ||||
2002[edit]
| Missouri 9th Congressional District Election, 2002[10] | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
| Republican | Kenny C. Hulshof (Incumbent) | 146,032 | 68.2% | ||
| Democratic | Donald M. Deichman | 61,126 | 28.5% | ||
| Green | Keith Brekhus | 4,262 | 2.0% | ||
| Libertarian | John Mruzik | 2,705 | 1.3% | ||
| Total votes | 214,125 | 100%% | |||
| Majority | 77,939 | 36.4% | |||
| Turnout | |||||
| Republican hold | Swing | ||||
2004[edit]
| Missouri 9th Congressional District Election, 2004[11] | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
| Republican | Kenny C. Hulshof (Incumbent) | 193,429 | 64.6% | ||
| Democratic | Linda Jacobsen | 101,343 | 33.8% | ||
| Libertarian | Tamara A. Millay | 3,228 | 1.1% | ||
| Constitution | Chris Earl | 1,447 | 0.5% | ||
| Total votes | 299,447 | 100%% | |||
| Majority | 87,411 | 29.2% | |||
| Turnout | |||||
| Republican hold | Swing | ||||
2006[edit]
| Missouri 9th Congressional District Election, 2006[12] | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
| Republican | Kenny C. Hulshof (Incumbent) | 149,114 | 61.4% | ||
| Democratic | Duane N. Burghard | 87,145 | 35.9% | ||
| Libertarian | Steve R. Headrick | 3,925 | 1.6% | ||
| Progressive | Bill Hastings | 2,487 | 1.0% | ||
| Total votes | 242,671 | 100%% | |||
| Majority | 55,557 | 22.9% | |||
| Turnout | |||||
| Republican hold | Swing | ||||
2008[edit]
| 2008 Missouri Governor general election | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
| Democratic | Jay Nixon | 1,680,611 | 58.4 | +10.6 | |
| Republican | Kenny Hulshof | 1,136,364 | 39.5 | -11.3 | |
| Libertarian | Andrew Finkenstadt | 31,850 | 1.1 | +0.2 | |
| Constitution | Gregory Thompson | 28,941 | 1.0 | +0.6 | |
| write-ins | 12 | 0.0 | |||
| Majority | 544,247 | ||||
| Turnout | 2,877,778 | ||||
| Democratic gain from Republican | Swing | ||||
References[edit]
- ^ "Missouri murder conviction overturned". United Press International, Inc. Feb. 18, 2009. Retrieved 2009-03-08.
- ^ ZAGIER, ALAN SCHER (Feb 17, 2009). "Judge throws out Missouri murder conviction". Associated Press. Retrieved 2009-03-08.
- ^ Zaiger, Alan Scher (February 18, 2009). "Mo. inmate released after murder conviction tossed". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved 2009-03-08.
- ^ a b Rizzo, Tony (8 January 2013). "Missouri Supreme Court overturns Mark Woodworth’s conviction in 1990 slaying outside Chillicothe". The Kansas City Star via company website. Retrieved 8 January 2013.
- ^ a b "Hulshof testifies as hearing wraps up in man's request for new trial". Columbia Tribune website. 4 June 2011. Retrieved 6 June 2011.
- ^ "State ex rel. Woodworth v. Denney, SC 91021, Mo. Supreme Court". Missouri Supreme Court. January 8, 2013. Retrieved Januar 9, 2013.
- ^ 1996 Election Results
- ^ 1998 Election Results
- ^ 2000 Election Results
- ^ 2002 Election Results
- ^ 2004 Election Results
- ^ 2006 Election Results
External links[edit]
- Biography at the Biographical Directory of the United States Congress
- Financial information (federal office) at the Federal Election Commission
- Financial information (federal office) at OpenSecrets.org
- Issue positions and quotes at On the Issues
- Voting record at The Washington Post
- Profile at SourceWatch Congresspedia
| United States House of Representatives | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Harold Volkmer |
Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Missouri's 9th congressional district January 3, 1997 - January 3, 2009 |
Succeeded by Blaine Luetkemeyer |
