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Republican gubernatorial candidate Kenny Hulshof greets campaign worker Ron Crider at Heartland Regional Medical Center Sunday afternoon.

Kenny Hulshof’s campaign trail to the Governor’s Mansion finally found its way to St. Joseph.

The Republican congressman from Columbia toured Heartland Regional Medical Center on Sunday to take a firsthand look at one of the area’s largest employers.

Mr. Hulshof spoke with doctors about various developments at Heartland, with a 64-slice CT scan machine serving as the centerpiece of the tour. The $2.1 million machine produces advanced imaging so doctors can pinpoint physical ailments quickly and accurately.

After the tour, Mr. Hulshof told his audience that he wants to create an economic environment that creates not only jobs, but long-time careers like those found at Heartland. He praised the tort reform law that Missouri passed in 2005 for fostering growth at Missouri hospitals. As governor, Mr. Hulshof said he would create opportunities for other sectors of the state’s economy.

Mr. Hulshof referred to renewable fuels standards as a way to stimulate development in rural areas. Missouri’s ethanol plants decrease consumers’ reliance on oil, he said. They also show an example of the forward thinking that helps small communities grow.

Mr. Hulshof defended his support for corn-based ethanol amid claims that it contributes to rising food prices. He said that commodity prices move in cycles, and that one should keep a consistent stance on the issue that is not affected my market swings.

“I know that some people in the race were for ethanol before they were against it,” Mr. Hulshof said.

Missouri Sen. Charlie Shields and U.S. Sen. Christopher “Kit” Bond, R-Mo., accompanied Mr. Hulshof on the tour. Mr. Bond voiced his approval for the candidate that he called “an endorser’s dream.” The former Missouri governor noted that Mr. Hulshof had been his congressman for 12 years — many of which Mr. Bond spent trying to nudge Mr. Hulshof toward a gubernatorial bid.

“I don’t know if I haven’t been persuasive enough or if he just caught on slowly,” Mr. Bond joked.

Mr. Hulshof’s opponent in the upcoming primary, Treasurer Sarah Steelman, criticized him in late July for not visiting St. Joseph more often during her stop at Krug Park.

The handful of Hulshof supporters who showed up said they weren’t bothered by the perception that their candidate’s campaign has ignored the St. Joseph area. Dixie Crider, of Clarksdale, Mo., cited an event where Mr. Hulshof drew an overflow crowd on July 11 in Maysville, Mo. Other supporters noted that Mr. Hulshof’s role as congressman keeps him in Washington, D.C., while Ms. Steelman works in Missouri and does not have to travel as far to campaign.

“He has been here in Northwest Missouri more than he’s getting credit for,” Ms. Crider said. “We aren’t worried about him ignoring this area at all.”

Business reporter Clinton Thomas can be reached at clintonthomas@npgco.com.