Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth is reportedly exploring the possibility of leaving his post at the Pentagon to pursue a run for governor of Tennessee, according to a new report by NBC News.
Sources familiar with the matter say Hegseth, a former Fox News host and key figure in President Trump’s Cabinet, began floating the idea of a 2026 gubernatorial bid weeks before publicly denouncing the Pentagon’s internal Signalgate review as a “sham” on Tuesday.
Per Defense Department regulations, civilian leaders are barred from seeking elected office while serving. Should Hegseth decide to launch a campaign, he would be required to resign his current position.
If he does step down, it would be the most significant leadership change at the Department of Defense since President Trump removed Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman General Charles Brown earlier this year.
Pentagon spokesman Sean Parnell flatly denied the report, calling it “laughable,” and said Hegseth remains focused on “serving under President Trump.” He dismissed the NBC report as either based on fictitious sources or a practical joke.
However, multiple individuals told NBC and The Washington Post that they’ve had direct conversations with Hegseth about a potential run. The Tennessee governor’s seat will be open in 2026, as Republican Governor Bill Lee is term-limited and constitutionally barred from seeking a third consecutive term.
One source claimed to have discussed campaign strategy and eligibility requirements with Hegseth. Tennessee law requires candidates for governor to have lived in the state for seven years. Hegseth has resided there for just over three years, raising legal questions about his eligibility.
According to another source, Hegseth’s recent talks about running weren’t just casual musings—they were serious conversations. Still, neither source could confirm whether the defense secretary had made a final decision.
Others close to Hegseth offered contradictory accounts. One individual said Hegseth had been “very, very clear” that a political campaign was not in his future and insisted the topic was “off the table.”
This wouldn’t be the first time Hegseth has eyed elected office. In 2012, he briefly ran for a U.S. Senate seat in Minnesota before dropping out after failing to secure the Republican nomination. Minnesota is also expected to have an open Senate seat in 2026.
Since taking office in January, Hegseth has faced a series of controversies. He dismissed three senior Pentagon appointees—Dan Caldwell, Colin Carroll, and Darin Selnick—accusing them of leaking sensitive information. He also became embroiled in “Signalgate,” a scandal involving the accidental inclusion of The Atlantic’s editor-in-chief in a classified Signal chat discussing military operations in Yemen.
In the aftermath of that episode, The Washington Post reported that the White House intervened to stop Hegseth’s team from allegedly using polygraph tests to hunt down suspected leakers.
