ST. LOUIS _ When Eric Greitens takes the oath of office as Missouri's 56th governor in January, Republicans will control the legislative branch and the executive branch for the first time in eight years.
While that could help supporters of the GOP agenda, lawmakers and the new governor will face a number of challenges from both within their partisan ranks and from the everyday pressures on state government.
From his pledge to tighten state ethics rules to passing an anti-union right-to-work law, the political neophyte will be juggling his own agenda at the same time the Legislature pursues its own.
Catherine Hanaway, a former speaker of the Missouri House and one of three Republicans who lost to Greitens in a hard-fought August primary, agreed Wednesday that there could be some tension between the new chief executive and lawmakers.
Take, for instance, his call for a lengthy waiting period for lawmakers who want to become lobbyists. Greitens' proposal comes against the backdrop of a new law approved in the spring forcing lawmakers to wait just six months to lobby.
"That is something that is going to have to be negotiated. Six months isn't enough," said Hanaway.
But, she and others surveyed by the St. Louis Post-Dispatch said Greitens and legislative leaders already are preparing to sprint out of the gate.
"There's pent-up demand for having a governor who will sign ethics reform, tort reform and a right-to-work law," Hanaway said.
On Wednesday, Greitens turned down an interview request after his more than yearlong campaign to replace term-limited Gov. Jay Nixon, a Democrat.
Rather than taking a quick victory lap, however, Greitens spent the day in St. Louis, said spokesman Austin Chambers. Greitens did find time to do an interview with conservative radio talk-show host Mark Reardon of KMOX.
Greitens is expected to be in Jefferson City Thursday for meetings.
Supporters say his win sends a message similar to that of Republican Donald Trump's victory as president.
"People were ready for a change," said Mark Ludwig, a longtime volunteer for Republican campaigns who lives in south St. Louis County. "They are sick and tired of the gridlock both in D.C. and in Jeff City and they wanted a new person."
Greitens, a Maryland Heights native and 1992 graduate of Parkway North High School, had come into the race with no previous political experience. But his lengthy resume as a former Navy SEAL, founder of a charity for veterans and Rhodes scholar helped him cruise past Democratic Attorney General Chris Koster by 163,620 votes for an unofficial margin of victory of 51 percent to 45 percent.
Republican leaders in the Missouri House and Senate also secured another two years of super majorities, from which they likely will continue their pursuit of right-to-work legislation, which would make it illegal for workers to be required to join a union or to pay dues to a labor organization as a condition of employment.
With Nixon no longer wielding his veto pen, the proposal could be among the first initiatives moving through the Legislature in 2017.
"We can expect Governor-elect Greitens to act quickly on some of the biggest problems facing our state and to quickly clear some long-standing roadblocks that have been impeding our growth," said Daniel Mehan, president of the Missouri Chamber of Commerce and Industry. "Bringing right-to-work protections to Missouri and ensuring our state courts are fair to all parties are just a few of the first steps he has proposed."
Mike Louis, president of the Missouri AFL-CIO, urged the labor community to stand together in opposition to right-to-work.
"With the election of Eric Greitens the security of our livelihoods is being threatened. Good jobs, decent pay, safe workplaces are all at risk of disappearing," Louis said in a statement issued after the polls closed.
House Speaker Todd Richardson, R-Poplar Bluff, said labor reform was among a handful of top initiatives. "People want to see Missouri move in a better direction," Richardson said.
House Republicans said their post-election meeting Wednesday in Jefferson City was a signal that the first 100 days of the 2017 legislative session could be busy.
"We want to hit the ground running and get everyone on the same page," said Rep. Robert Cornejo, R-St. Peters.
Cornejo conceded that Greitens may have a tougher time persuading Republican leaders to join him on a crackdown on unethical behavior under the Capitol dome.
He said a longer waiting time for lobbyists wanting to become lobbyists is likely to be a sticking point.
"In the House there was a bigger appetite for a longer cooling-off period last spring. A lot of the hesitation and hold-up came in the Senate," Cornejo said. "So, a resolution will come down to how the new governor works with the Senate."
Senate President Ron Richard, R-Joplin, said he is "encouraged" to work with Greitens.
"I congratulate him and his family and all of their hard work over the last few months, and I'm looking forward to a successful session next year," Richard said in a statement.
Dave Robertson, a political scientist at the University of Missouri-St. Louis, predicted lawmakers and Greitens would find a politically palatable resolution.
"I think there is some common ground that artful diplomacy could produce a package _ at least a small package _ of reforms," Robertson said.
The new governor also will face challenges when it comes to overseeing state government, ranging from maintaining crumbling roads and bridges and other state facilities to grappling with high turnover among state workers who are the lowest paid in the nation.
In addition, revenues flowing into the state are coming in more slowly than anticipated, potentially requiring more cuts to the $27 billion spending plan before the fiscal year ends in June. Greitens offered few specifics on his budget plans during the campaign.
Greitens also expressed support for altering the way the state appoints and elects judges, which would require a change in the state constitution.
Richardson said he doubted any lawmakers were upset over Greitens' near-constant bashing of the culture of Jefferson City or worried about his lack of experience. Rather, the speaker said most members likely were happy to finally have a Republican in the governor's office.
"I don't think there is any smoothing over needed," Richardson said.
