Hulshof was born in Sikeston, Missouri and is of Dutch, German, and Irish descent. Hulshof attended the University of Missouri and 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. 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 GOP candidate for Congress. Despite a late start in the race, Hulshof captured 45% of the vote and nearly beat nine-term incumbent Democrat Harold Volkmer. The district had historically had a character similar to Yellow Dog Democrat districts in the South, but Volkmer was thought to be vulnerable after Hardy nearly unseated Volkmer in 1992 even as Bill Clinton easily carried the state. 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; Hulshof responded that Volkmer voted twenty times to raise taxes in twenty years. Hulshof won the election by a 49%–47% margin, becoming only the third Republican to win it since 1893. He would never face another contest anywhere near that close, and was reelected five more times, never dropping below 59 percent of the vote. Hulshof made known his desire to run for Governor of Missouri in 2004, but withdrew in favor of then-Secretary of State Matt Blunt, who won. Hulshof's voting record in the House was conservative. Among other issues, he voted against abortion and same-sex marriage, while supporting the death penalty and the Patriot Act. Hulshof is Roman Catholic, and is active in the St. Thomas MoreNewman 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 System president. Hulshof confirmed the rumors after his candidacy became common knowledge. However, the university's Board of Curators ended up voting to offer the position to another graduate, who declined the offer. The Board selected Gary D. Forsee for the President of the in 2008. When Governor Blunt announced he 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 GeneralJay Nixon, the Democratic Nominee, in the General Election held on November 4, 2008. Hulshof now works for Kit Bond Strategies, based in St. Louis, Missouri.
Court cases
A 2008 Associated Press investigation found five cases where Hulshof was accused of prosecutorial misconduct, primarily withholding exculpatory evidence. At least two cases in which Hulshof served as prosecuting attorney have been overturned on judicial review and one case in which the judge set aside the conviction. 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. Kezer was convicted and sentenced to 60 years in prison. Kezer was set free after a Cole County Circuit judge overturned the conviction. Hulshof publicly stated that he remained convinced of Kezer's guilt. 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. 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. Hulshof, at the time an assistant Missouri Attorney General, was brought in as a special prosecutor in the original trial. On June 4, 2011, Hulshof was questioned regarding evidence in the Woodworth case. A special master determined that a series of letters written between the original trial judge and various prosecutors was not offered to Woodworth's defense attorneys. The Missouri Supreme Court ruled that there was a violation of the Brady v. Maryland evidence rules and overturned the conviction.
