War Secretary Pete Hegseth appears to be a popular option to replace Sen. Marsha Blackburn (R-TN) in the Senate should she win her race to become Tennessee’s next governor on Tuesday.
Despite the Iran war, an UpOne Insights poll published on Tuesday found that Hegseth has a 72% favorability to 13% unfavorability rating in Tennessee. The results come even as Democrats discuss the possibility of impeaching him, depending on the makeup of Congress next year.
The poll also found that Rep. Tim Burchett (R-TN), another possible Blackburn replacement, had a 46% favorability and 5% unfavorability rating.
Meanwhile, former Knox County Mayor Glenn Jacobs, otherwise known as WWE Hall of Famer Kane, had a 24% favorability and a 5% unfavorability rating. Rep. Chuck Fleischmann’s (R-TN), meanwhile, had a 16% favorability to 5% unfavorability rating.
The poll additionally found that respondents preferred term-limited Gov. Bill Lee (R-TN) to appoint Blackburn’s replacement, 57%, as opposed to the senator herself, 20%. Another 22% of respondents remained undecided.
Regardless of a wide field, Blackburn is the favorite to succeed Lee and become Tennessee’s first female governor after Tuesday’s election.
Her nearest rival is Democratic nominee Jerri Green, but the pair are matched against a number of independents, including academic Lauren Pinkston and businessman David Hatley.
The UpOne Insights poll found, too, that Blackburn leads Green 41% to 36%, with Hatley having 12% support.
President Donald Trump told the Washington Examiner last week that Democrats should be careful regarding their discussions concerning a possible Hegseth impeachment.
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“I mean, honestly, if we wanted to play that game, we could play it just as well,” Trump told the Washington Examiner. “But they’re talking about Pete Hegseth. He’s doing a great job. He’s a great warrior. I think he’s the best at his job in many, many years, and a lot of people agree with him.”
The UpOne Insights poll surveyed 500 registered voters in Tennessee between Oct. 24 and 26 via phone calls and text messages for a margin of error of plus or minus 4.4 percentage points.