Joni Ernst says she will support Pete Hegseth’s nomination for defense secretary

Sen. Joni Ernst of Iowa, who had been seen as a key Republican skeptic of Pete Hegseth’s nomination to lead the Defense Department, said she will support him after his performance at Tuesday’s confirmation hearing.

“Our next commander in chief selected Pete Hegseth to serve in this role, and after our conversations, hearing from Iowans, and doing my job as a United States Senator, I will support President Trump’s pick for Secretary of Defense,” Ernst said in a statement.

“As I serve on the Armed Services Committee, I will work with Pete to create the most lethal fighting force and hold him to his commitments of auditing the Pentagon, ensuring opportunity for women in combat while maintaining high standards, and selecting a senior official to address and prevent sexual assault in the ranks,” she added.

Ernst had indicated her plans to support Hegseth’s bid in an interview Tuesday on Simon Conway’s radio show.

“I figured you would ask this, so yes, I will be supporting President Trump’s pick for secretary of defense, Pete Hegseth,” Ernst told Conway.

Ernst’s support is a huge boost to Hegseth’s odds, all but assuring his confirmation to lead the Pentagon barring twists in the Republican-led Senate.

She telegraphed her intentions during her friendly questioning of Hegseth at Tuesday’s hearing, which she began by entering into the record a letter from a Hegseth supporter arguing for his nomination.

As a sexual assault survivor and combat veteran who sounded initially skeptical of Hegseth, Ernst was seen as the linchpin of his path to confirmation. Hegseth has been accused of sexual assault — an allegation he denies — and previously said women shouldn’t serve in combat.

NBC News has reported that FBI’s background check on Hegseth didn’t include interviews with his ex-wives or a woman who accused him of sexual assault in 2017.

Republicans control 53 seats in the Senate and need 50 votes to confirm Hegseth. That means at least four GOP senators must defect to sink him, even if all 47 Democrats vote against him.

There is no 60-vote threshold for nominations. So far, no Republicans have come out against Hegseth. Two others being watched closely are the two moderates — Lisa Murkowski, of Alaska, and Susan Collins, of Maine — but their defections wouldn’t be enough to defeat him even if they oppose him.

Ernst faces re-election in 2026, and some allies of President-elect Donald Trump have threatened in recent weeks to recruit a primary challenge in Iowa, a red state, if she were to oppose Hegseth. Trump supporters have sought to rally GOP senators in favor of his nominees after they quietly scuttled his initial nominee for attorney general, the scandal-plagued former Rep. Matt Gaetz of Florida.