Republicans are eyeing a onetime Donald Trump critic to replace former Fox News host Pete Hegseth as the next defense secretary nominee.
Senator Joni Ernst, who is reportedly among the GOP holdouts against Hegseth's confirmation, is being floated by some in the party as an "obvious" choice for the Cabinet position.
Asked about the prospect of Ernst filling the role, GOP Senator Kevin Cramer told CNN's Lauren Fox on Wednesday morning, "She'd be easy to confirm. And I think she'd be great. Actually, I have a lot of friends that would like that job. If she wanted it, she'd be my first pick."
Doug Heye, a former Capitol Hill staffer who previously served as communications director for the Republican National Committee, also expressed support for Ernst. On Tuesday, he wrote on X (formerly Twitter), "Jettisoning Hegseth makes sense, never should have been picked, but the obvious choice should be Joni Ernst."
Ernst has criticized Trump in the past, and she was the last member of the Senate GOP leadership conference to endorse him in the 2024 election. Since Trump's win, she has embraced the incoming administration and spearheaded a Senate caucus to coordinate with the newly created Department of Government Efficiency.
A staffer in Ernst's office told Newsweek the Iowa senator "is looking forward to meeting with Pete Hegseth."
The chatter surrounding Ernst comes as Hegseth remains an embattled pick for the president-elect's incoming defense secretary. Trump shocked many in the political world when he tapped Hegseth for the top position last month, and Hegseth's nomination has grown only more controversial as allegations of sexual and alcohol abuse continue to arise.
Last week, The New York Times published a 2018 email from Hegseth's mother that showed her expressing concern about her son's routine mistreatment of women.
She told him: "I have no respect for any man that belittles, lies, cheats, sleeps around and uses women for his own power and ego. You are that man (and have been for years)."
On Wednesday, she appeared on Fox News to express regret over the email and defended her son, saying that she doesn't believe any of what she wrote is true and that she wrote it "in haste" when her son was going through a difficult divorce with his then-wife.
This past weekend, The New Yorker published a report that said Hegseth was forced to step down from two veteran nonprofit groups amid accusations of financial mismanagement and sexist behavior, among other allegations. Hegseth's attorney has called the claims "outlandish."
Hegseth visited Capitol Hill on Tuesday to meet with Republican senators, including Ernst, who has been seen as a potential swing vote on his confirmation. Ernst, the first woman combat veteran in the Senate, was previously considered for the Pentagon position before Trump opted for Hegseth. If confirmed, she would be the first female defense secretary.
"Joni Ernst is the logical, smart choice for SecDef," Alyssa Farah Griffin, a former Trump White House official and current co-host of The View, wrote on X Wednesday. "Her appointment would be historic. She'd sail through Senate confirmation & get a good number of Dem votes, & would be widely respected within the Pentagon."
Farah Griffin added that while she didn't want Trump to be the GOP presidential nominee or the president-elect, she hoped that he would appoint "capable people [to] the most critical posts," including potentially Ernst at the Defense Department.
She also appears to have some support from her Democratic colleagues. Senate Armed Services Committee Chairman Jack Reed told Politico on Wednesday that she would be "superbly qualified" for the position.
"She's a combat veteran herself, her daughter's a graduate from West Point, so she had the vested interest in the military, and she is someone who's been a very substantial contributor to the committee," Reed said. "She understands significantly the dynamics of policy, what has to be done and what are the challenges."
Ernst's long history of advocating for legislation aimed at addressing sexual assault and harassment in the military also puts her in contrast with Hegseth and the accusations that have been made against him. Ernst is herself a survivor of sexual assault and rape.
Although she initially said that Hegseth would "be a very strong secretary of defense," she has since stressed that the allegations need to be "properly vetted."
Polymarket shows Ernst and Hegseth tied, with a 17 percent chance each of becoming the next defense secretary. Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, who is also reportedly being considered for the position, has the highest chance on the betting site, with 41 percent.
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