When U.S. Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth showed up Oct. 17 on the Neyland Stadium sidelines for the Third Saturday in October, rumors started swirling in Republican circles that he might be gunning to fill Marsha Blackburn's Senate seat if she's elected Tennessee governor.
The problem? Hegseth isn't a "real" Republican by the Tennessee Republican Party's standards. That wouldn't stop him from filling the vacancy, but he wouldn't be qualified to run in the 2028 Republican primary without special permission from the state party.
That's because Hegseth has not voted in several statewide primary elections since registering to vote in Sumner County in 2022, including the August 2026 primary and the March 2024 presidential primary. Tennessee Republican
Party bylaws say candidates can run in GOP primaries if they meet a certain set of standards, including having voted in three out of the four most recent statewide Republican primary elections.
Hegseth would be a new player to Tennessee politics. He moved to Middle Tennessee in 2022 and splits his time in Washington, where his service as Pentagon chief has been marked by controversy.
He needed Vice President JD Vance to cast the tiebreaking vote for his confirmation, and the former Fox News personality has faced intense bipartisan criticism over the ongoing Iran war, including an impeachment effort from U.S. Rep. Thomas Massie, R-Kentucky. House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-Louisiana, sent lawmakers home a day early to avoid a vote on the impeachment resolution, but Massie has vowed to resume his campaign to remove Hegseth from office when Congress returns next month.
Criticism of Hegseth intensified after he committed to livestreaming the execution by firing squad of Nidal Malik Hasan, who killed 13 people and injured 32 others in what is the largest mass murder at a U.S. military installation. Trump later nixed Hegseth's plan.
Democrats have been unified in their disdain of Hegseth's leadership, and they could have some leverage to oust him if they're successful in the midterms. They are threatening to hold up emergency defense funding the White House requested in June, as well as regular funding for the Defense Department that expires Dec. 11, The Hill reported Oct. 19.
If Blackburn wins and Republican leaders want to give Hegseth an "out" without the political stain for the administration of another Cabinet resignation or firing, the Senate could be a landing spot.
Chief Pentagon spokesman Sean Parnell told Knox News on Oct. 21 that "Hegseth's singular focus is leading the War Department. All other speculation is foolish."
Though Hegseth can't run for Senate as a Republican without special permission from the state party, he could serve until 2028, according to state and federal requirements. In the 2028 election, Hegseth could either seek a waiver to the Tennessee Republican Party's rules, run as an independent or sit out until he's qualified to run as a bona fide Republican in 2030 if he votes in every election until then.
When someone requests a waiver from the GOP primary qualifications, the state party chair and State Executive Committee members from across the state would vote on the request. The party has given waivers before.
In 2026, state Republican Party State Executive Committee, disqualified 40 candidates because they didn't meet the party's "bona fide" requirements. In addition to voting in primaries, candidates must have been actively involved in the state or local party or a party affiliate and have been registered to vote.
The state party automatically reviews prospective candidates' voting records, according to its bylaws.
None of the speculation about Hegseth will matter, though, if Blackburn is not elected governor Nov. 3. If she isn't elected governor, her Senate seat is up for election in 2030.
Allie Feinberg is the politics reporter for Knox News. Email: allie.feinberg@knoxnews.com; Reddit: u/KnoxNewsAllie
This article originally appeared on Knoxville News Sentinel: If Blackburn picks Hegseth to replace her, he'd need GOP permission to run again | Exclusive
