Missouri governor picks state’s first woman attorney general to replace Bailey
Missouri Gov. Mike Kehoe on Tuesday named Republican Catherine Hanaway as the state’s next attorney general to succeed Andrew Bailey, who is resigning to join the Federal Bureau of Investigation.
Hanaway, 61, a former federal prosecutor, Missouri House speaker and candidate for governor, was widely considered the likely pick for the job. She will become the first woman to hold the position in Missouri history when she is sworn in on Sept. 8.
“Governor, I promise to you that as AG, I will work as hard as I can,” Hanaway said at a press conference at the state Capitol on Tuesday. “I will be innovative. I will adapt to changing times. But more than anything else, I’ll show Missourians just how much I care.”
Kehoe moved quickly to fill the position on Tuesday, announcing Hanaway at a press conference less than a day after Bailey said he would resign next month to serve as co-deputy director of the FBI in President Donald Trump’s administration.
“I’ve known Catherine for over 20 years,” Kehoe told reporters on Tuesday. “She represents and understands Missouri conservative values.”
The Missouri Attorney General’s Office is one of the most sought-after positions in Missouri and largely viewed as a golden ticket to a higher office. Missouri has seen four different attorneys general in six years and Bailey’s most recent predecessors, Eric Schmitt and Josh Hawley, used the office as a pathway to positions in the U.S. Senate.
While Hanaway was considered the likely pick, Kehoe’s decision to appoint an established and experienced politician could signal a change of course for the position. Hanaway’s three most recent predecessors were all early in their careers and Kehoe said on Tuesday that he was seeking more stability in the position.
When asked about the revolving door of previous attorneys general, Hanaway said she planned to finish out the remaining three years of Bailey’s term and is interested in running for a full term.
“That’s my game plan,” she said.
A St. Louis resident, Hanaway’s political career has been marked by a series of firsts. At the powerhouse law firm Husch Blackwell in St. Louis where she works as partner, she was the first woman chair. Before that, she was the first, and only, woman to serve as Missouri House speaker, arguably the most powerful position in the Missouri General Assembly.
Hanaway also worked as a U.S. Attorney, the chief federal law enforcement officer for the Eastern District of Missouri. She earned her law degree from The Catholic University of America Columbus School of Law and received an undergraduate degree from Creighton University.
Hanaway championed Bailey’s tenure as attorney general during Tuesday’s press conference, saying that she would pursue many of the same issues as her predecessor. However she acknowledged she wasn’t “intimately familiar with how some of my predecessors managed.”
During Bailey’s time as attorney general, he distinguished himself among national conservatives through a barrage of litigation, legal threats and incendiary social media posts that often went further than his Republican predecessors.
He also faced extensive criticism from both Democrats and some Republicans, who argued that he incompetently managed the office.
One of Bailey’s key targets was fighting the expansion of abortion rights after voters enshrined a right to the procedure in the state constitution. Hanaway on Tuesday signaled that she would continue those efforts.
“I have a long history of being pro-life,” Hanaway said. “Like...many women we had some infertility struggles. I’m empathetic to that, but I believe In the sanctity of human life.”
Hanaway added that her No. 1 job would be curtailing crime, echoing many of the tough-on-crime talking points trumpeted by Bailey and her other recent predecessors. She looked forward to having a close relationship with law enforcement agencies, she said.
But one new focus of the office under Hanaway will center on harnessing, and protecting residents against, artificial intelligence or AI, she said on Tuesday.
“It will be a priority of mine to be a leader in realizing the efficiencies that AI can provide, but also a leader in protecting Missourians from any abuses that may be rendered through AI,” she said.
The Republican Attorneys General Association, which pushes states to elect Republican attorneys general, championed the move in a press release on Tuesday. Kansas Attorney General Kris Kobach, who chairs the organization, said Hanaway would “continue the strong legacy” of her predecessors.
“Missouri is lucky that Catherine Hanaway answered the call to serve her state once again,” Kobach said in a statement.
The announcement drew a mixed reaction from Missouri Democrats. Several pointed to the laundry list of attorneys general who have used the office to climb to more visible positions.
“Congratulations to Missouri’s fourth Attorney General in six years, I hope this one doesn’t flee Missouri for Washington D.C. the first chance she gets!” Senate Minority Leader Doug Beck, a St. Louis area Democrat, wrote on social media.
House Minority Leader Ashley Aune, a Kansas City Democrat, said that Hanaway “will be a vast improvement over her incompetent and unprofessional predecessor.”
However, she also pointed to the fact that Hanaway served on scandal-plagued former Gov. Eric Greitens’ legal team as he fought against impeachment in 2018.
“One question is which Catherine Hanaway will we get as attorney general: The one who served capably and honorably as House speaker and U.S. attorney, or the one who intensely fought to help Eric Greitens cling to power while facing impeachment,” Aune said. “But unless she proves us wrong, House Democrats believe she can restore integrity to the office.”
This story was originally published August 19, 2025 at 10:18 AM.
