Hegseth may be rallying Senate support—but voters aren't sold

Pete Hegseth’s bid to lead the Pentagon under President-elect Donald Trump appears to be back on track as key Republican senators look past allegations of sexual assault and drinking at work. But that doesn’t mean voters are on board.

A new Civiqs poll, fielded Dec. 7-10, found that 48% of registered voters oppose Hegseth’s nomination for secretary of defense, while 42% support it.

This is the lowest level of net support the poll found among the Cabinet appointees it covered. Even cretins like anti-vaccine activist Robert F. Kennedy Jr. (for secretary of health and human services), former Rep. Tulsi Gabbard (for director of national intelligence), and former federal prosecutor Kash Patel (for FBI director) saw higher levels of support among America’s voters. 

This poll arrives as many Republican senators have voiced support for Hegseth.

South Carolina Sen. Lindsey Graham, who had previously called some allegations against Hegseth “very disturbing,” said on Tuesday that the Fox News host was “in pretty good shape.” Texas Sen. John Cornyn also said he’d support Hegseth “barring any unforeseen circumstances.” And on Tuesday, Trump’s transition team released a video showcasing three other Republican senators who will supposedly back Hegseth’s bid in Trump’s Cabinet.

Hegseth met on Monday with onetime GOP holdout Joni Ernst, a Republican senator from Iowa, for a second time. Their discussions were apparently positive: Shortly after their get-together Ernst issued a statement where she said she would “support Pete through this process.”