Hanaway joins big players in Capitol

ST. LOUIS -- Gov. Bob Holden was naming her in frustration after a lost battle.

State workers upset about going two days without pay carried signs saying, "Furlough Hanaway."

Missouri's editorial pages have taken an increased interest.

Catherine Hanaway's not exactly taking it all in stride.

"I feel an awesome responsibility, quite honestly," said the House Republican leader, who was getting more attention and less sleep in the session's closing days -- about four hours a night between long, hard-fought days at the state Capitol.

"When there are protesters outside your door and you're getting all this mail, you think very hard about the effects of your actions," she said.

Two years ago, Hanaway was a rank-and-file lawmaker from Warson Woods in suburban St. Louis. Now, she's one of the Statehouse's most influential policy-makers and a major player among Missouri Republicans.

Her name has gradually become more familiar to Missourians over the past two years, her first term in the chamber's leadership. Last week, she found herself squarely in the spotlight after leading an effort to prevent the state from tapping its Rainy Day Fund.

Hanaway says the economic slowdown, which has created growing budget shortfalls, has helped set the tone for her time in the House leadership. So perhaps it was appropriate that an event caused by the state's tight budget brought her a new level of notoriety.

"It has been a recession, and it's been both more difficult and more rewarding than it could have been," she said.

Rising to the minority leadership post in only her second term, Hanaway's got both the political chops and the political connections to be a rising star for the GOP.

"She's a strong and effective leader with a bright future, and Democrats know that better than anyone," said Scott Baker, spokesman for the Missouri Republican Party.

Just ask Holden.

His main complaint with Hanaway: She's too Republican.

"I respect her political acumen," the governor said Friday. "She works hard and has good political skills. I wish on some issues she would be less partisan and give more thought to the impact of her decisions on citizens who deserve to be represented."

In 2000, Hanaway was George W. Bush's Missouri campaign director, helping him win a former Bill Clinton state by a narrow margin over Al Gore. She's also shown a knack for being accessible and quotable for reporters.

Stumping in December for U.S. Senate candidate Jim Talent, the likely GOP nominee to face Jean Carnahan in November, she said, "They are going to tell you that you should vote for the other Senate candidate just because she has a set of ovaries." The blunt sound bite got nationwide play.