By: Steve Gill
NBC news is reporting that Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has privately discussed the idea of running for political office next year in Tennessee. NBC sourced their story “according to two people who have spoken directly with him about it.” https://www.nbcnews.com/
Is he actually seriously considering an immediate race for Governor? The short answer is…Nah!
His staff, and those he reportedly has spoken to, have vehemently denied his interest in running for Governor in Tennessee next year. There have, however, been rumors circulating in Tennessee in recent weeks that Senator Marsha Blackburn, who is likely to enter the Tennessee Governor’s race in the next few weeks, has indicated privately that she would consider appointing him to fill her seat in the event that she is elected Governor. If Blackburn does win the office, she would make a two-year appointment to fill her Senate seat, pending a special election in 2028 for the remaining two years of her six year term. Blackburn was elected to a six year Senate term in 2024. Others in Tennessee have been speculated to be interested in that Senate appointment if Blackburn does in fact win the office of Governor, including Knox County Mayor Glenn Jacobs and Knoxville Congressman Tim Burchett.
Hegseth, a former Army National Guard officer and Fox News host, has a home in Middle Tennessee with his wife and family. He has campaigned for political office before, running for the U.S. Senate in his home state of Minnesota in 2012. He has no real political ties to Tennessee.
Hegseth would face eligibility requirements if he wants to run for office in Tennessee. Candidates for governor must have lived in the state for seven years before the election. He only moved to the state three years ago.
Tennessee Republican Party bylaws also have a series of requirements for Republican primary candidates, including having voted in three of the last four most recent statewide Republican primary elections in which the candidate is eligible to vote. If Hegseth chose to run for Governor in 2026 it is doubtful he could qualify under those bylaws as a republican primary candidate.
Another barrier to a Hegseth race in 2026 would be the likelihood he would face serious challenges from within his own party who have long ties to the state.
Republican Rep. John Rose is running and has lent himself $5 million and raised over 1 million more to kick off his campaign. Sen. Marsha Blackburn, Tennessee’s senior senator, has served Tennessee in the state legislature and Congress as well as the US Senate for over 25 years. She has indicated she plans to announce her own campaign for Governor “soon”.
The other immediate Tennessee political path for Hegseth that might become available would be if Tennessee’s other Republican Senator, Bill Hagerty, was tapped by President Donald Trump to fill a senior cabinet vacancy in the next several months. Hagerty, is up for reelection for another six year term in 2026 and has already begun his reelection campaign. Hagerty was reportedly on the very very short list to be selected for either Trump’s Secretary of the Treasury or Secretary of State.
In the highly unlikely event that either Scott Bessent or Marco Rubio would leave those positions in the next few months, Trump could call on Hagerty. That scenario could provide an open Tennessee Senate seat that might be attractive to Hegseth, who would still face significant barriers to actually winning what would be a highly contested seat.
Hegseth might eventually establish a real presence in Tennessee and seek political office. However, the NBC story might be great fodder for clicks and political fantasy but seems to be a far cry from reality.
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Steve Gill is the Publisher of TriStar Daily and is a national and international political commentator and analyst.
