Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth may be preparing for a major political move in 2026, according to multiple sources who say he’s considering a run for office in his home state of Tennessee.
Two individuals with direct knowledge of the situation say Hegseth has privately floated the idea and appears to be taking it seriously.
They say his time in President Donald Trump’s cabinet has raised his national profile and helped him build the political credibility and donor network needed to mount a campaign.
Sources claim the office Hegseth is most interested in is governor of Tennessee. One source said they spoke with Hegseth about eligibility requirements and the legal need for him to resign before launching a campaign.
The Pentagon prohibits any current employee from running for elected office.
If he does move forward, it would be one of the biggest shake-ups inside Trump’s administration since Elon Musk resigned from his advisory role and exited the Department of Government Efficiency earlier this year, as Trending Politics reported.
Hegseth, 45, has been one of the most visible cabinet officials in Trump’s second term. His bruising Senate confirmation fight and frequent public appearances have only added to his political capital.
Pentagon spokesman Sean Parnell declined to confirm any political aspirations. “Hegseth’s focus remains solely on serving under President Trump,” he said in a statement.
Another individual, who spoke with Hegseth over the past three weeks, described the tone of their conversation as serious. “It wasn’t just casual talk,” the source said. “He’s giving this real thought.”
A second source, while not giving a specific timeline for their conversation, confirmed it took place after Hegseth assumed the defense secretary role in January.
One person familiar with Hegseth’s thinking said they discussed how demanding a statewide race would be and what kind of effort it would take to win. Still, both sources said no final decision had been made and the idea remains under consideration.
Parnell strongly pushed back on the reports, calling them “made up.”
In a follow-up statement, he said, “Fake news NBC is so desperate for attention, they are shopping around a made up story… again. Only two options exist: either the ‘sources’ are imaginary or these reporters are getting punked.”
He doubled down, insisting Hegseth remains fully committed to President Trump’s America First mission at the Department of Defense.
A third source, not directly tied to Hegseth’s inner circle, dismissed the idea outright. They told NBC that the defense secretary is not planning to leave his position anytime soon and that such talk is “totally off the table.”
That source added that Hegseth has been “very, very clear” about remaining in his role through the 2026 midterms.
A longtime advisor to Trump echoed that claim, saying there is no indication Hegseth will depart the cabinet before the next election cycle.
The post Pete Hegseth Floats Possible 2026 Political Run appeared first on Resist the Mainstream.
Click this link for the original source of this article.
Author: Anthony Gonzalez
This content is courtesy of, and owned and copyrighted by, https://resistthemainstream.org and its author. This content is made available by use of the public RSS feed offered by the host site and is used for educational purposes only. If you are the author or represent the host site and would like this content removed now and in the future, please contact USSANews.com using the email address in the Contact page found in the website menu.
