Iowa Senator Joni Ernst announced that she would vote for Pete Hegseth to become Defense Secretary, making his path to Senate confirmation much easier.

WASHINGTON – Sen. Joni Ernst, R-Iowa, will vote for former Fox News host Pete Hegseth for Secretary of Defense, she announced Tuesday night after his first confirmation hearing.

The Iowa Republican’s decision dramatically increases the likelihood that Mr. Hegseth will have enough votes to be confirmed as President-elect Donald J. Trump’s defense secretary.

President-elect Donald Trump’s transition team sees Sen. Joni Ernst’s support for Defense Secretary nominee Pete Hegseth as crucial. A former Army National Guard commander, Ernst faced an avalanche of

Heading into Tuesday’s confirmation hearing, the Iowa senator’s support for Donald Trump’s pick to run the Pentagon is seen as critical by the president-elect’s team.

GOP Sen. Joni Ernst, a key vote on Pete Hegseth's confirmation as secretary of defense, said Tuesday she is supporting his nomination.

Sen. Joni Ernst revealed she is officially supporting Pete Hegseth for Secretary of Defense after Tuesday's hearing.

Iowa, noting "frank" conversations on Pentagon finances and sexual assault in the military, appeared supportive Pete Hegseth's confirmation as defense secretary.

Trump's got the bullhorn now to say, ‘MAGA nation is watching,’” said outgoing Dallas County Republican Party Chair Kelley Koch.

Sen. Joni Ernst said she will vote to confirm Pete Hegseth as the next secretary of defense, making the controversial nominee's path to the helm of the Pentagon more likely.

Joni Ernst had been seen as a key hurdle to Pete Hegseth’s confirmation. She approached her questions firmly but without confrontation Tuesday.

Pete Hegseth’s former sister-in-law gave an affidavit to the Senate Armed Services Committee accusing him of being “abusive” toward his second ex-wife, according to a copy of the affidavit obtained by CNN.