Iowa Senator Joni Ernst announced that she would vote for Pete Hegseth to become Defense Secretary, making his path to Senate confirmation much easier.

WASHINGTON – Sen. Joni Ernst, R-Iowa, will vote for former Fox News host Pete Hegseth for Secretary of Defense, she announced Tuesday night after his first confirmation hearing.

The Iowa Republican’s decision dramatically increases the likelihood that Mr. Hegseth will have enough votes to be confirmed as President-elect Donald J. Trump’s defense secretary.

President-elect Donald Trump’s transition team sees Sen. Joni Ernst’s support for Defense Secretary nominee Pete Hegseth as crucial. A former Army National Guard commander, Ernst faced an avalanche of

Joni Ernst had been seen as a key hurdle to Pete Hegseth’s confirmation. She approached her questions firmly but without confrontation Tuesday.

Sen. Joni Ernst revealed she is officially supporting Pete Hegseth for Secretary of Defense after Tuesday's hearing.

Sen. Joni Ernst said she will vote to confirm Pete Hegseth as the next secretary of defense, making the controversial nominee's path to the helm of the Pentagon more likely.

Iowa's Republican U.S. Sen. Joni Ernst said Tuesday she will vote to confirm Pete Hegseth to lead the U.S. Department of Defense, ending weeks of speculation about whether she would stand in opposition to President-elect Donald Trump.

Trump's got the bullhorn now to say, ‘MAGA nation is watching,’” said outgoing Dallas County Republican Party Chair Kelley Koch.

South Carolina's Lindsey Graham, a Trump confidant, has long been targeted by the far right in his state and was booed at a home-state rally during the 2024 presidential campaign. The Associated Press talked to people connected to five senators who have been targeted online or by rivals in their states.

With votes expected late evening, the Republican-led Senate is determined to install Hegseth, a former Fox News host and combat veteran, and round out President Donald Trump's top national security Cabinet officials. Secretary of State Marco Rubio and CIA Director John Ratcliffe won confirmation within days of Trump's return to the White House.

Donald Trump's pick for Defense Secretary, Pete Hegseth, is facing stiff criticism from Democrats—but most Republicans back him.