Hegseth not considered for Marsha Blackburn's Senate seat in Tennessee

WASHINGTON — Republican U.S. Sen. Marsha Blackburn of Tennessee, elected this week as her state's next governor, is not considering Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth to fill her upcoming Senate vacancy, according to a source close to the senator.

Hegseth, who has a home outside Nashville, has been the subject of growing speculation for the appointment. But the source said Blackburn is not considering the appointment of Hegseth as her successor, nor has she spoken with President Donald Trump about picking the Pentagon chief, as she begins her transition to the governor's office.

Multiple Republican officeholders and donors pushed back at Blackburn potentially choosing Hegseth for her Senate seat after his name surfaced for the role, according to the source, who was granted anonymity to discuss private discussions. The source rejected the Hegseth talk as baseless speculation from Washington.

After her Nov. 3 election victory, Blackburn is set to be sworn in as Tennessee's next governor in January. Under Tennessee law, Blackburn ‒ as the new governor ‒ will appoint who will serve the remainder of her Senate term, which ends in 2031.

Republicans who are seen as strong contenders for Blackburn's appointment include U.S. Rep. Tim Burchett, R-Tennessee, and Knox County Mayor Glenn Jacobs, who was on stage with Blackburn as she gave her election victory speech.

Hegseth, a former Fox News host who has worked to instill a "warrior ethos" in the armed services, has turned into one of the Trump administration's most controversial figures.

Hegseth is expected to face an impeachment push from Rep. Thomas Massie, R-Kentucky as early as next week for conducting the U.S. war against Iran without congressional authorization and using lethal force against suspected drug traffickers in the Caribbean without judicial authorization, among other accusations.

In a Nov. 5 video address, Hegseth vowed to fight any impeachment proceedings. “We don’t back down and that especially applies now,” Hegseth said. “The next few months and years are critical for our department and our republic.”

Trump has acknowledged fielding calls from people who are critical of Hegseth’s leadership, but has repeatedly said he intends to keep him at the helm of the Pentagon. “I get these calls, you know, about him,” Trump said in an interview with ABC News. “I don’t understand why.”

Blackburn, a close Trump ally and conservative firebrand, won her governor race by a much closer margin than expected ‒ less than 3 percentage points ‒ in the reliably red Tennessee amid a blue tsunami that took down Republicans across the country. Blackburn finished with 45.5% of the vote, topping Democrat Jerri Green's 43%. Independent candidate David Hatley finished with 9%.

Blackburn will become Tennessee's first female governor when she's sworn into office.

Contributing: Miles J. Herszenhorn of USA TODAY

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