Congressman Hulshof unable to defend his record of reckless spending in Washington: 11,000 earmarks and record deficits

SPRINGFIELD, Mo. -- In tonight's final gubernatorial debate, Attorney General Jay Nixon outlined his agenda to bring about the change that Missouri families need, and highlighted his long record of running a fiscally responsible government agency.  Congressman Kenny Hulshof, meanwhile, was unable to defend his Washington record of wasteful spending and gave Missourians no reason to believe he is capable of managing the state's budget.
 
"There is only one fiscally responsible candidate in this race, and that's Jay Nixon," said Oren Shur, Nixon's campaign spokesman. "While Congressman Hulshof has been in Washington voting for 11,000 earmarks and record deficits, Jay Nixon has balanced budgets and saved the taxpayers money.  The Congressman was asked to defend his votes for reckless earmarks, and he was unable to, because those votes are indefensible.  If Congressman Hulshof can't explain why he voted for hundreds of millions in wasteful earmarks, why should Missourians trust him to oversee our state's budget?  Here in Missouri, we don't print money like Congressman Hulshof is used to doing out in Washington."

When Congressman Hulshof was asked to specifically defend his up-or-down votes for wasteful earmarks, he dodged the issue and failed to account for his Washington record.  The Congressman did, however, remind Missourians that he voted for the Bridge for Nowhere.

See the attached document for a comparison of the candidates' records on fiscal responsibility.