After the second meeting with Hegseth, Ernst indicates whether or not he will accept the confirmation

Republican Sen. Joni Ernst of Iowa, the first female combat veteran elected to the Senate and a member of the Armed Services Committee, has signaled her support. President-elect Trump candidate for secretary of defense.

After meeting with Pete Hegseth for the second time on Monday, Ernst wrote in a statement that “as I support Pete in this process, I look forward to a fair hearing based on truth, not anonymous sources.”

An Army National Guard officer who deployed to the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq and until last month was a longtime Fox News anchor, Hegseth has been the focus of a numerous reports highlighting a series of allegations of drunkenness and sexual misconduct.

Hegseth has denied allegations he abused women and has vowed not to drink “a drop of alcohol” if confirmed as defense secretary. A separate report surfaced allegations that Hegseth mismanaged a veterans nonprofit he once led.

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Ernst, a conservative lawmaker first elected to the Senate in 2014, is seen as a key vote in the confirmation battle. about Hegseth, who in the past has questioned the role of women in combat.

The senator is also a sexual assault survivor who has a strong legislative record to address sexual assault and harassment in the military.

He said in his statement that “after our encouraging conversations, Pete committed to complete a full audit of the Pentagon and to select a senior official who will uphold the roles and value of our servicemen and women – based on the quality and standards, not quotas – and who will prioritize and strengthen my work to prevent sexual assault within the ranks.”

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Ernst’s office told Fox News on Monday that “the senator has consistently followed the process, which she has said from the beginning, and doing her job as a United States senator.”

After meeting with Hegseth last week, Ernst said in a social media post that she and Trump’s defense secretary nominee had a “frank and thorough” conversation.

A day later, when asked in an interview on Fox News’ “America’s Newsroom” if she wasn’t ready to vote to confirm Hegseth, the senator replied, “I think you’re right.”

Before his second meeting with the senator, Hegseth told Fox News’ Aishah Hasnie, “I’m really looking forward to meeting with Senator Ernst. I appreciate him. I respect his background and his service. He’s incredible. And the ongoing conversation has been very fruitful.”

In recent days, a high-profile Trump ally has threatened to fuel a primary challenge against Ernst when he runs for re-election in 2026.

“This is the red line. This is not a joke … Funding is already coming together. Donors are calling like crazy. The primaries are going to be on,” said Charlie Kirk, an influential conservative activist and host of radio and television who co-founded and directed Turning Point USA.

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Kirk, on his radio show, warned that “if you support the president’s agenda, you’re fine. You’re safe from a primary. You’re going up against Pete Hegseth, the president repeatedly, so don’t be surprised, Joni. Ernst, if you suddenly have a primary challenge in Iowa.”

In Iowa, conservative commentator and media personality Steve Deace took to social media and used his radio show to highlight that he would consider mounting a primary challenge against Ernst.

“Defeating an incumbent U.S. senator requires high name identification, connections and funding potential,” Deace wrote. “I’m one of the few people in Iowa with all three.”

Deace, who endorsed Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis at this year’s Iowa GOP presidential caucus, said, “I don’t want to be a senator, but I’m willing to make her the primary for the sake of the cause if I am I sure have. Trump’s support comes in. Or I’m willing to throw my support and my network behind someone else that President Trump prefers primarily Joni Ernst.”

Iowa Attorney General Brenna Bird, one of Trump’s top supporters in the Iowa caucuses, wrote a column on Breitbart urging Hegseth’s confirmation.

While not mentioning Ernst by name, Bird took aim at “D.C. politicians” who “think they can ignore the voices of their constituents and entertain smears from the same outlets that have peddled lies for years.”

David Kochel, a veteran GOP consultant who was a key strategist and early backer of Ernst during his successful 2014 Senate campaign, told Fox News that “Joni Ernst is doing what the Constitution says, which is their work, which is to advise and consent”.

“I think everybody should give him the space to do his job, and making threats to a combat veteran usually doesn’t work very well,” Kochel said.

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Trump has praised Hegseth in recent days.

“Hegseth is doing great. His support is strong and deep, much more so than fake news,” the president-elect wrote Friday.

But Fox News and other news organizations have reported that Trump is considering potentially nominating DeSantis as defense secretary as a possible replacement if Hegseth’s nomination falters.

Ernst’s name has also come up as a possible replacement.

But the senator said last week in an interview with RealClearPolitics that “I’m not looking to be secretary of defense.”

Fox News’ Chad Pergram, Tyler Olson and Julia Johnson contributed to this report.