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Sen. Joni Ernst, Republican of Iowa, announced on a local radio show Tuesday that she will vote to confirm Pete Hegseth as the next defense secretary, ending weeks of speculation about whether she would break with President-elect Donald J. Trump’s pick.
“I will support President Trump’s choice for Secretary of Defense, Pete Hegseth,” Ms. Ernst said on WHO News Radio 1040, a station in Des Moines.
Her decision dramatically increases the likelihood that Mr. Hegseth will have enough votes to be confirmed by the Senate. With Democrats expected to oppose him en masse, Mr. Hegseth can afford to lose more than three Republican votes. After Ms. Ernst’s announcement, only a handful of Republican senators’ votes may be in play; Senators Susan Collins of Maine, John Curtis of Utah, Mitch McConnell of Kentucky, Lisa Murkowski of Alaska and Todd Young of Indiana have not yet said how they will vote.
Ms. Ernst was seen as a potentially key turnaround for Mr. Hegseth, whose candidacy has been complicated by allegations of sexual misconduct, public drunkenness and corporate mismanagement. Ms. Ernst, a survivor of sexual abuse and the first female war veteran in the Senate, has actively advocated for expanding opportunities for female soldiers and has been a leading Republican voice agitating for changes in the way the military handles sexual assault cases.
But it was clear during the hearing of Mr. Hegseth on Tuesday that Ms. Ernst has embraced the idea of him leading the Pentagon, despite her initial reservations about Mr. Hegseth. Although Ms. Ernst said at the outset of her questioning that she was someone who “wouldn’t pull a punch,” she did not challenge Mr. Hegseth — and at one point even tried to refute allegations that he had mismanaged the veteran nonprofits he ran.
Ms. Ernst’s later announcement that she would vote to confirm Mr. Hegseth completed an evolution that had been underway for weeks, amid a concerted pressure campaign to support his bid.
When Mr. Trump announced Mr. With Hegseth as her choice, Ms. Ernst initially appeared hostile to the choice, telling reporters that he would “have his work cut out for him.” After a private meeting with Mr. Hegseth, she said on Fox News that she was not yet “yes” to his confirmation.
Her admission drew an immediate backlash from outside groups associated with Mr. Trump, who targeted her with ads and social media posts, while prominent Iowa Republicans threatened to launch primary challenges against her in 2026.
Within days, Ms. Ernst met again with Mr. Hegseth and announced that she was encouraged by his promises to audit the Pentagon and appoint a senior official to deter sexual assault in the military and ensure that female service members are considered for fight. roles if they can meet the requirements.
During Tuesday’s hearing, Ms. Ernst stuck to the same script, asking Mr. Hegseth questions that allowed him to publicly express his promises about audits, women in combat and deterring military sexual assaults.
