From 1986 to 1989, Hattaway was press secretary to Representative
Andy Ireland (R-FL), who had been elected in 1973 as a Democrat, but switched parties in 1984. Hattaway worked for Rep. Ireland when he was a member of the
House Armed Services and
Intelligence committees and co-chair of the Defense Burden Sharing Panel, which examined U.S. defense policy in Europe. During the 1990s, he worked as a freelance correspondent, writing about politics, economics and environmental issues in
South and
Central America,
Northern Ireland, and the
Caribbean. Hattaway served as press secretary for New Hampshire Governor
Jeanne Shaheen from 1997 to 1999. In 2000, Hattaway became the New Hampshire spokesman for the
Al Gore 2000 presidential campaign during the primary against
Senator Bill Bradley. He was then promoted to become the campaign’s national spokesman. He became the campaign’s primary voice during the
Florida recount. After a controversial Supreme Court decision halted the recount, Hattaway told
The New York Times, “If you count the voter’s intent, Gore wins. If you look for excuses not to count votes, Bush does better.” After the 2000 election, Hattaway went to Capitol Hill to work for then-Senate Democratic Leader
Tom Daschle as communications director, beginning work shortly before the
September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks and was still in the position when Senator Daschle's Washington, D.C., office received a piece of mail
containing anthrax. Hattaway told
PRWeek, “I thought I had a good crisis communications experience after the Florida recount. Now I’ve got September 11 and anthrax. It’s not the kind of crisis management experience you want.” His company, Hattaway Communications, serves high-profile clients in politics, government, advocacy, business and philanthropy, including the world's largest foundations. The firm's stated mission is to "help visionary leaders and organizations achieve ambitious goals that benefit people and the planet." Hattaway has appeared frequently as an analyst and commentator on
CNN and
MSNBC. == Personal life ==