Iowa's Republican U.S. Sen. Joni Ernst said Tuesday she will vote to confirm Pete Hegseth to lead the U.S. Department ... Brianne Pfannenstiel is the chief politics reporter for the Des Moines Register. Reach her at [email protected] or 515-284-8244.

Joni Ernst pressed Pete ... Hegseth. Some constituents have called for her to face a primary challenger when she is up for reelection in 2026, and Trump loyalist Kari Lake, who grew up in eastern Iowa, is headlining a political event in West Des Moines ...

Hegseth was confirmed as Secretary of Defense Friday night after a tight Senate vote that had Vice President J.D. Vance cast the tiebreaking vote.

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.

Sen. Joni Ernst (R-Iowa), a key member of the Senate Armed Services Committee who has championed women serving in combat roles, announced Tuesday that she will vote for Pete Hegseth,

CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa (KCRG) - Iowa Senator Joni Ernst could be the key to securing Pete Hegseth’s path to Secretary of Defense. But the Trump-nominated veteran and former TV host has no shortage of controversy in his past. As for Ernst, there are number of reasons why her vote could be the difference.

Pete Hegseth has been sworn as the nation’s 29th secretary of defense. Hegseth took the oath Saturday in Washington from Vice President JD Vance less than 12 hours after

On this week's On Iowa politics podcast, SCJ's Jared McNett, Lee Des Moines Bureau Chief May Marchel Hoff and QCT's Sarah Watson talk Condition of the State address and a potential casino moratorium.

The Senate confirmed Pete Hegseth late Friday, swatting back questions about his qualifications to lead the Pentagon.

A Princeton and Harvard-educated former combat veteran, Hegseth went on to make a career at Fox News, where he hosted a weekend show. Trump tapped him as the defense secretary to lead an organization with nearly 2.1 million service members, about 780,000 civilians and a budget of $850 billion.