Hegseth hits Iowa, 2028 rumors explode — and Democrats are already declaring disaster for the GOP

BS BULLETIN

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth’s campaign appearance with Iowa Republican Rep. Zach Nunn has ignited speculation that Hegseth may be considering a 2028 presidential run.
The Pentagon says Hegseth appeared in his “personal capacity,” while reporting indicates people familiar with his thinking believe future elected office is under consideration.
Democrats and anti-Trump commentators immediately mocked the prospect — but Hegseth has been campaigning for Republicans beyond Iowa, including in Kentucky and South Carolina.

Pete Hegseth went to Iowa to campaign for a Republican congressman. Naturally, Washington immediately began measuring the drapes in the Oval Office.

President Pete? Maybe. Maybe not.

But the reaction to Hegseth’s appearance Monday with Republican Rep. Zach Nunn at the Iowa State Fair has become nearly as interesting as the appearance itself.

The Defense Secretary traveled to Iowa and stumped for Nunn, an Air Force veteran fighting to hold his competitive 3rd Congressional District seat. Hegseth showed up looking considerably more like a guy running for something than a Cabinet secretary making a ceremonial appearance — rolled-up sleeves, tattoos visible, working the crowd and making the case for Republicans.

CBS News noted something genuinely unusual about the visit: sitting defense secretaries generally do not go around campaigning for congressional candidates.

The Washington Post then poured gasoline on the speculation, reporting that officials familiar with Hegseth’s thinking believe he has been considering running for president or another office after his time in the Trump administration. The Pentagon says the Iowa appearance was made in Hegseth’s “personal capacity.”

And Iowa, of course, isn’t just Iowa.

It’s Iowa.

You know, the place politicians visit because they’ve suddenly developed an intense fascination with pork chops, corn and livestock approximately 18 months before announcing a presidential campaign.

Hegseth’s political travels aren’t limited to the Hawkeye State, either.

New York Magazine noted Wednesday that Hegseth has also been making appearances in South Carolina — another state deeply associated with the presidential nominating process. Earlier this year, Hegseth traveled to Kentucky to campaign for Ed Gallrein, the Trump-backed Republican challenger to Rep. Thomas Massie.

At the Kentucky event, Hegseth explicitly covered the legal bases. “I have to say up front, for the lawyers, that I’m here in my personal capacity as a private citizen, a fellow American, and a fellow combat veteran,” he told the crowd.

Pentagon spokesman Sean Parnell said at the time that Hegseth’s participation had been reviewed by lawyers and did not violate the Hatch Act or other applicable federal law.

So there is a pattern developing here.

Kentucky. South Carolina. Iowa. Maybe Hegseth simply enjoys airports. Or maybe Washington’s political antennae aren’t completely malfunctioning this time.

The possibility of a Hegseth presidential campaign immediately produced the predictable celebration among Democrats and Never Trump commentators.

Democratic strategist Mike Nellis declared: “A Hegseth presidential campaign is going to deliver some hilarious campaign trail moments from Iowa. Really bad news for Republicans.”

That is certainly one theory.

Democratic Rep. Jason Crow took a more serious shot, arguing that Hegseth should be focused on the war with Iran and problems aboard the USS Abraham Lincoln rather than appearing at political events. “Trump’s endless conflict with Iran is spiraling out of control,” Crow wrote. “And our Defense Secretary is campaigning in Iowa. A complete failure of leadership.”

Former Democratic National Committee chair Donna Brazile similarly urged Hegseth to concentrate on Iran, the Strait of Hormuz and American service members. Others piled on.

Former Obama adviser Dan Pfeiffer called a defense secretary campaigning in Iowa during wartime “truly bananas.” Bill Kristol mused that a President Hegseth would represent the ultimate expression of Trumpism.

But there is another little detail worth remembering. The political graveyard is full of people who confidently announced that a particular Republican candidate would be a gift to Democrats.

We heard quite a bit of that in 2015. How did that work out?

Nobody should mistake online speculation for a campaign announcement. Hegseth hasn’t announced one.

And if he eventually does seek the Republican nomination, he would potentially enter a heavyweight MAGA succession fight.

Vice President JD Vance would immediately loom over any 2028 conversation. Secretary of State Marco Rubio would have his own national constituency and presidential campaign experience. Other Republican governors and senators would presumably take a look.

Hegseth, however, would possess something few traditional candidates could duplicate: a national television profile combined with service in Trump’s Cabinet and a political identity closely aligned with the MAGA movement.

He also comes with baggage.

His Pentagon tenure has been controversial, the Iran war would inevitably become part of any evaluation of his leadership, and some Republican senators have publicly criticized aspects of his management of the Defense Department. Sen. Thom Tillis and other Republicans, for example, have recently objected to Hegseth’s handling of congressional Democrats in classified defense-budget discussions.

That would all become presidential-primary material.

But Democrats laughing about Hegseth today should probably remember something else. Iowa Republicans have liked him before.

During the battle over his confirmation in late 2024, a Victory Insights survey found more than seven in ten Iowa Republicans supported confirming Hegseth as defense secretary. It isn’t a current presidential poll and shouldn’t be treated as one, but it does suggest that Hegseth was hardly some alien creature dropped into hostile political territory when he showed up in Iowa this week.

And he wasn’t there merely to test his own popularity. Republicans actually need help in Iowa. Despite Donald Trump carrying the state by 13 points in 2024, several Iowa races have become surprisingly competitive ahead of the midterms. The Cook Political Report currently regards two House races, the open Senate contest and the governor’s race as competitive, according to the Wall Street Journal.

So there is a perfectly legitimate explanation for Hegseth being there: Republicans want recognizable Trump administration figures helping Republican candidates win elections.

Both things can also be true. Hegseth can be helping Zach Nunn in 2026 while simultaneously noticing how Republican voters react to Pete Hegseth in Iowa.

Politicians have been known to multitask.

MY QUICK TAKE

I have to admit, this is wonderful. Pete Hegseth rolls up his sleeves in Iowa and half the political press corps immediately screams: HE’S RUNNING!

Apparently the tattoos were the giveaway.

And Democrats are already assuring everybody that Pete Hegseth would be “really bad news for Republicans.”

Oh, please.

If I had a dollar for every time the political experts told us which Republican voters would never nominate, which Republican couldn’t possibly win, and which Republican was certain to destroy the party, I could personally finance the 2028 Iowa caucuses.

Remember Donald Trump coming down that escalator?

The experts laughed. Then they explained that Republicans would never nominate him. Then they explained America would never elect him. Then they spent the next decade explaining how what we had all watched happen couldn’t possibly have happened.

So forgive me if I don’t immediately accept Democratic strategists as the official talent scouts for the Republican Party.

Does Pete Hegseth want to be president? I haven’t the foggiest idea. But Kentucky, South Carolina and Iowa are an interesting collection of vacation destinations for a fellow who just happens to work in Washington.

And if Pete suddenly develops a deep personal interest in New Hampshire diners? Okay. Then I’ll start paying attention.

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