Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth is not currently being considered to fill the Tennessee Senate seat that Marsha Blackburn will vacate when she becomes governor, according to a report from the Associated Press.
The AP cited a person familiar with the matter, who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss private conversations. The source dismissed speculation about Hegseth taking the seat as baseless chatter and said Blackburn is focused on her transition to the governor’s mansion.
Blackburn, a Republican, defeated Democrat Jerri Green on Tuesday to become Tennessee’s first female governor. She was reelected to the Senate in 2024, and when she takes office as governor in January, she will leave behind a vacancy in a seat that runs until early 2031. As governor, she will be in a position to appoint a successor. When asked about the seat on Wednesday, Blackburn said she would address it at a later date.
Hegseth’s name had surfaced as a possible pick amid uncertainty over his future at the Pentagon following Republicans’ sweeping midterm losses. The Hill previously reported, citing two sources, that Hegseth was interested in the seat and had been campaigning for it behind the scenes. At the time, Pentagon Press Secretary Kingsley Wilson dismissed that report as beltway gossip from anonymous sources.
Some Tennessee Republicans believed Hegseth would be a heavyweight if he entered the mix. GOP operative Monty Lankford told The Hill he expected Hegseth would carry the most weight in the room. Hegseth, a former Army National Guard major, moved to Tennessee with his family in 2022.
President Trump weighed in on Wednesday, telling reporters he was not considering replacing Hegseth at the Pentagon and praising his performance. Trump added that he believed Hegseth would be very popular in the Senate, but said he had not heard of any such plan.
Hegseth is already shaping up to be a top target for congressional Democrats, who will control both chambers next year. Democrats have debated whether to pursue impeachment against the Pentagon chief and how to bring more oversight to the Iran war. In the Senate, Democrats have quietly floated pushing for his ouster as leverage in defense spending talks with the White House.
Meanwhile, the race for Blackburn’s seat is heating up. Rep. Tim Burchett, a Tennessee Republican who won reelection Tuesday and campaigned for Blackburn this cycle, told the AP he wants to be considered. Others reportedly interested include former Knox County Mayor Glenn Jacobs, a former professional wrestler who is close with Blackburn, and former CoreCivic CEO Damon Hininger.
Blackburn has outlined early priorities for her administration, including what she has called a Tennessee-style version of the Department of Government Efficiency.
For now, the Senate appointment remains wide open, and with the AP report, Hegseth’s name appears to be off the table.