Incoming Tennessee Governor Marsha Blackburn’s transition team vowed that Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth will not be appointed to her US Senate seat after elected officials called to push back against the move, Punchbowl News’s Jake Sherman reported, citing a person close to Blackburn. The source said Hegseth “is not being considered” amid backlash against him, calling the idea “Washington, D.C., spin from a bunch of consultants with nothing better to do” and adding that “Dc won’t pick the next senator.”
The denial follows a report from political operative Christopher Hale, citing Tennessee Republican sources, that President Donald Trump was encouraging Blackburn to resign early so Hegseth could be named to her seat, giving the White House time to confirm a new Pentagon chief during the lame duck session before Democrats take control of the Senate in January. NBC News also reported Thursday that Trump has asked allies for potential successors to Hegseth and placed some of his upcoming travel on hold amid bipartisan frustration over the Iran war and its role in Republicans’ midterm election losses.