A Pentagon spokesperson on Monday denied reporting that claims U.S. Senator Marsha Blackburn (R-TN) may appoint Secretary of War Pete Hegseth to the Senate if she is elected Tennessee’s next governor, dismissing the report as “Beltway gossip by anonymous sources.”
Responding to a Sunday news roundup by Puck, which reported “chatter on the Hill that Hegseth has been angling for” Blackburn’s seat, The Independent reported on Monday that Pentagon spokesperson Kingsley Cortes denied Hegseth was participating in such an effort.
“These speculations are nothing more than beltway gossip by anonymous sources,” said Cortes, according to the outlet. “Under President Trump’s leadership, Secretary Hegseth’s singular priority is leading the War Department and delivering on the President’s America First agenda.”
Cortes’s comments followed those of Sean Parnell, the assistant secretary of defense for public affairs, who last week said Hegseth’s team was “solely focused on peace through strength and ensuring our warfighters have everything they need to be successful.”
Reports began circulating about Hegseth potentially returning to Tennessee, where he first moved with his family in 2022, after the Secretary of War appeared at a University of Tennessee football game alongside Blackburn.
Also in attendance with Blackburn and Hegseth was U.S. Representative Tim Burchett (R-TN-02), who was first mentioned as a possible pick for Blackburn’s successor by August 2025, and said during an October 2025 appearance on The Michael Patrick Leahy Show that he would “love the opportunity” to serve in the Senate.
“I think I would enjoy the fight. I could take the fight to them,” said Burchett last year.
Polling for a potential successor to Blackburn, published in September, showed Burchett leading with 31.6 percent of respondents.
Behind Burchett in that poll was former Knox County Mayor Glenn Jacobs, who said in January 2025 that he would not run for governor if it meant competing against Blackburn, and who was one of her earliest endorsers.
Shortly after the poll, Axios reported that Jacobs was viewed as the most likely Republican to be tapped by Blackburn for the Senate. However, the outlet reported that U.S. Representative Chuck Fleischmann (R-TN-03) is also considered among the “top contenders” for the seat.
The latest gubernatorial polling showed Blackburn with a double-digit lead over her Democrat opponent, Memphis City Council Member Jerri Green. The survey found Blackburn at 43.5 percent, followed by Green at 32 percent. Independent gubernatorial candidate David Hatley received 11.9 percent, followed by independent candidate Lauren Pinkston at 1.4 percent.
An additional 0.9 percent of respondents said they supported another candidate, which may include one of the other 11 independent gubernatorial candidates running in 2026, while 10.2 percent were undecided.
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Tom Pappert is a 2025 recipient of the Dao Prize and the lead reporter for The Tennessee Star. He also reports for the Star News Network. Follow Tom on X. Email tips to [email protected].
Photo “Marsha Blackburn and Pete Hegseth” by Marsha Blackburn.Â
