Hegseth Gaining Momentum in the Senate for Sec. of Defense Nomination

If you had asked me at the beginning of this week if Hegseth would be approved, I would have given him maybe 30% to be confirmed.

Today, however, the feeling is very different, as I now believe Hegseth is about 65% or so, possibly higher.

It’s a No for Me

If the GOP is going to get all of Trump’s original nominees through the Senate, it will need everyone on board because we know the Dems will likely fight Trump on just about every appointment.

Hegseth appeared to be swimming uphill when the anti-Trump contingent in the Senate spoke up, but that alone would not have been enough to defeat him.

So, when Senator Joni Ernst (R-IA) stated she was not behind Hegseth, well, it became a real problem. At the time, when Ernst was asked if she was not ready to vote “yes” for Hegseth, she responded, “I think you are right.”

She then added, “A number of our senators, they want to make sure that any allegations have been cleared and that's why we have to have a very thorough vetting process. The vetting will continue, I am certain, through the next month or so until we approach that hearing date.”

Changing Her Mind

Hegseth has been meeting with every Senator who will take a meeting with him in an effort to gain more support for his nomination.

That, of course, meant sitting down with Ernst, who apparently was wooed by Hegseth to the point she is now a yes. After her meeting, it was reported that Ernst stated, “Following our encouraging conversations, Pete committed to completing a full audit of the Pentagon and selecting a senior official who will uphold the roles and value of our servicemen and women — based on quality and standards, not quotas — and who will prioritize and strengthen my work to prevent sexual assault within the ranks.

“As I support Pete through this process, I look forward to a fair hearing based on truth, not anonymous sources.”

With Ernst now in the fold, Hegseth’s chances of being approved increased rather dramatically, to the point that other GOP Senators were getting fairly bold in their predictions.

He’s Going to Pass

Senator Tom Cotton (R-AR), who has been in Trump’s corner from the outset, made a rather bold prediction about all of Trump’s nominees.

Cotton pulled no punches, posting on X, “I expect our Republican Senate is going to confirm all of President Trump’s nominees.”

Cotton continued, “Of the 72 cabinet secretary nominees since the Clinton transition, only 2 nominees have ever received NO votes from the president-elect’s party. No one should be surprised that the Republican Senate will confirm President Trump’s nominees.”

Besides Hegseth, the nominees likely to receive some resistance are Tulsi Gabbard, Kash Patel, RFK Jr., and Kristi Noem. Other than that, at this point, I think most of them will sail right through the nomination process.