WASHINGTON — Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth is not being considered to fill the U.S. Senate seat that Tennessee Gov.-elect Marsha Blackburn will vacate when she takes office in January, according to people familiar with the private discussions, ending days of speculation about the Pentagon chief's political future.
Blackburn, a Republican senator serving her second term, won Tennessee's governor's race on Tuesday, defeating Democrat Jerri Green. She has said she plans to keep her Senate seat until she is sworn in as governor in January, at which point she will appoint her own successor to serve the remainder of her term, which runs through January 2031. An election to fill the seat would be held in November 2028.
Hegseth, who has a home outside Nashville, had surfaced as a possible appointee as his future at the Pentagon came under question after Republicans' sweeping midterm losses. But a person familiar with the matter told The Associated Press that Hegseth is not currently being considered for the seat, dismissing the speculation as "baseless chatter," and a source close to Blackburn told USA Today she has not spoken with President Donald Trump about picking the Pentagon chief.
Rep. Tim Burchett, a Tennessee Republican who won reelection on Tuesday, told the AP he wants to be considered for the seat. Knox County Mayor Glenn Jacobs — the former professional wrestler known as Kane — and Stuart McWhorter, a top adviser to Gov. Bill Lee who serves as deputy governor and commissioner of the state's Department of Economic and Community Development, have also been mentioned as possible appointees.
Trump said on Wednesday that Hegseth is "doing a very good job" and that he is not considering replacing him as defense secretary. Asked whether he would like to see Hegseth take Blackburn's seat, the president said Hegseth would be "very popular if he did that," but added that he had not heard of any plans for that to happen. A person close to Hegseth said he was not interested in the role.
Hegseth is expected to face an impeachment push from Rep. Thomas Massie, a Kentucky Republican, as early as next week, over the U.S. war against Iran, which was conducted without congressional authorization, and the use of lethal force against suspected drug traffickers in the Caribbean. In a video address on Thursday, Hegseth vowed to fight any impeachment proceedings.
