Missouri Rep. Kenny Hulshof on Friday bowed out of next year's race for governor clearing the way for the state GOP to rally behind Secretary of State Matt Blunt.

Hulshof's decision appears to end any possibility that Republicans will face a contentious primary. The GOP is eager to take on Democratic Gov. Bob Holden, who has struggled at times during his first two years in office.

Hulshof, a four-term congressman from Columbia, said he was planning to run for governor until the unexpected death in November of his father, a southeast Missouri farmer.

"My father's death has thrust enormous challenges upon Mom and me," Hulshof, 43, said in a statement. "We have decided to continue his legacy and actively engage in the business of farming."

Hulshof's announcement sent waves of relief through the party. Prospects of a Blunt-Hulshof battle had stirred memories of the 1992 intra-party battle for governor between Republicans Bill Webster, Wendell Bailey and Roy Blunt, Matt Blunt's father.

The party spent years recovering from the fight and may have delayed the party's takeover of the General Assembly, some Republicans have said.

"From the party's perspective, obviously we think our position is stronger if there is no primary," John Hancock, the Missouri GOP's executive director, said Friday.

He said he was unaware of other possible Republican candidates.

Matt Blunt was out of state Friday, but his office issued a statement saying that Blunt and Hulshof "share a determination to fix Missouri's job-loss crisis and create new opportunities for all Missourians."

Many Republicans regard the governor's office as the party's top goal. Besides holding majorities in both houses of the General Assembly, the party now controls both U.S. Senate seats and five of the nine congressional seats.

Hulshof, a member of one of the House's most important committees, Ways and Means, first gained attention as a prosecuting attorney who won a series of high-profile murder convictions. He said he plans to seek re-election next year.

Of his decision, he said, "I cannot in good conscience provide the representation people deserve, be a good husband and father, take on the additional responsibilities of the family business and meet the demands that a statewide run would create," Hulshof said.

Holden still could face a primary challenge from state Auditor Claire McCaskill, the former Jackson County prosecutor. She has declined to rule out a primary race next year.