Defense Secretary nominee Pete Hegseth kicked off the confirmation hearings for Donald Trump’s Cabinet this morning.
I am going to be watching — and I am starting a Substack chat where you all can offer thoughts, insights and questions throughout the proceedings.
But I wanted to give you a cheat sheet on which senators to watch in the Armed Services Committee hearing. My five picks are below:
Arkansas Sen. Tom Cotton (R): Cotton is a military veteran and a very ambitious pol who wants to raise his name ID in advance of 2028. My guess is that combo will make him the lead defender of Hegseth amid Democratic attacks during the hearing.
Illinois Sen. Tammy Duckworth (D): Duckworth lost three limbs during her military service. That sacrifice is un-ignorable — and Hegseth must be very careful not to be flippant or dismissive of her as it will look, well, bad. Duckworth is also likely to focus on Hegseth’s past pronouncement that women should not serve in combat roles.
Iowa Sen. Joni Ernst (R): Ernst is the single most important person to watch on the committee. She is a military veteran and a sexual assault survivor. Hegseth was accused of sexual assault although never charged — and my guess is that how Ernst handles those allegations (Hegseth paid off the accuser) will be a signal to the rest of her colleagues. Ernst appears to have softened somewhat on Hegseth since he was first nominated. We shall see…
Arizona Sen. Mark Kelly (D): Kelly is a veteran, an astronaut and someone who represents a swing state not to mention a finalist in Kamala Harris’ veepstakes. Like Duckworth, he speaks from a position of experience and can’t be dismissed as simply a partisan attack dog.
Michigan Sen. Gary Peters (D): Peters is in a swing state and is up for reelection in 2026. Given those election concerns — in a state Donald Trump won in 2024 — what tack does Peters take toward Hegseth? Is he conciliatory? Confrontational? I think Peters’ tone is a useful indicator as to which way he thinks the political winds are blowing in Michigan.
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