Senators voted 51-49 to advance Hegseth's defense secretary bid, which has been mired in a series of controversies. Two Republicans are opposed to Hegseth.

Party loyalty remains strong even for nominees who go down. Pete Hegseth’s no different, but the Trump era has strengthened it even more.

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.

Pete Hegseth is closer to Senate confirmation as Trump's Defense secretary despite controversy and allegations of serious impropriety.

The U.S. Senate narrowly voted on Thursday to advance the nomination of Pete Hegseth, a former Fox News host and military veteran, to be President Donald Trump's secretary of defense, clearing the way for a vote on his confirmation later this week.

Trump's pick to lead the Pentagon endured fierce Democratic grilling over everything from his inexperience, alleged drinking and his past opposition to women in combat to emerge largely unscathed among Republicans at his confirmation hearing.

Defense Secretary nominee Pete Hegseth was grilled by female senators during his confirmation hearing over his past statements about women in combat. New York Sen.

Will Hegseth get through? Pete Hegseth, current Fox News anchor and possible future defense secretary in the Trump administration, will face senators in his confirmation hearing later today.

Conservative organizations are targeting Republican senators, saying that they will pay a price if they do not back the president-elect’s choice for defense secretary.

Pete Hegseth, President-elect Donald Trump’s pick for Pentagon chief, referred to North Korea as a “nuclear power” in a written statement for Tuesday’s confirmation hearing – shattering a longstanding taboo by granting such a designation to Kim Jong-un’s regime and drawing considerable attention in Seoul.

All but two Republicans voted to advance Pete Hegseth’s nomination as secretary of defense to a final vote, as Democrats raced to bolster fresh allegations about his personal conduct.