田纳西州众议员蒂姆·伯切特表示，他希望在玛莎·布莱克本于1月就任州长后接替她的参议员职务。
Tennessee Rep. Tim Burchett says he wants to replace Sen. Marsha Blackburn when she becomes governor in January.
乔伊·卡佩莱蒂 华盛顿报道 —— 在参议员玛莎·布莱克本赢得州长选举仅仅几天后，田纳西州接替她席位的竞争正在加剧，一名共和党众议员公开表达了兴趣，同时有关国防部长皮特·赫格塞斯的猜测也在流传。周二赢得连任的田纳西州共和党众议员蒂姆·伯切特向美联社表示，他希望在布莱克本于1月就任州长时被纳入参议员席位的考虑人选。“当然。当然，”伯切特被问及此事时说道。
JOEY CAPPELLETTI WASHINGTON — The race to replace Sen. Marsha Blackburn is intensifying in Tennessee, just days after she won the race for governor, with one Republican congressman publicly expressing interest and speculation swirling around Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth Rep. Tim Burchett, a Tennessee Republican who won reelection Tuesday, told The Associated Press that he wants to be considered for the Senate seat when Blackburn becomes governor in January. “Absolutely. Absolutely,” Burchett said when asked.
随着共和党在期中选举中遭遇全面惨败，赫格塞斯的去向充满不确定性，他也浮现为潜在的继任人选。但据一位不愿透露姓名的知情人士透露，赫格塞斯目前并未被列入该席位的考虑人选，该知情人士讨论了这些私下对话。
Hegseth has also surfaced as a potential replacement, with his future uncertain after Republicans’ sweeping losses in the midterm elections. But Hegseth is not currently being considered for the seat, according to a person familiar with the matter who discussed the private conversations on condition of anonymity.
该知情人士称，布莱克本正专注于向州长职务的过渡，并驳斥了有关任命赫格塞斯担任参议员席位的猜测为毫无根据的闲谈。
The person said Blackburn is focused on her transition to the governorship and dismissed speculation about appointing Hegseth to the Senate seat as baseless chatter.
正在第二个参议期任职的布莱克本已表示，她计划保留该席位，直到她宣誓就任州长为止，这使她能够任命自己的继任者来完成其任期剩余的任期，该任期将于2031年1月结束。
Blackburn, who is serving her second Senate term, has indicated she plans to retain the seat until she is sworn in as governor, allowing her to appoint her own replacement to serve out the remainder of her term, which ends in January 2031.
期中选举后关于内阁可能改组的大部分猜测都集中在赫格塞斯身上，他是总统唐纳德·特朗普不受欢迎的对伊朗战争的关键策划者，且已经成为国会民主党人的主要攻击目标。众议院预计将于下周复会，并面临是否弹劾赫格塞斯的投票。
Much of the post-midterms speculation about potential Cabinet shuffles has centered on Hegseth, a key architect of President Donald Trump’s unpopular war with Iran who is already shaping up to be a top target of congressional Democrats. The House is expected to return next week and is facing a vote on whether to impeach Hegseth.
N特朗普周三对记者表示，他没有考虑更换赫格塞斯，并称“我认为他干得很好”。特朗普在谈到赫格塞斯可能填补布莱克本的席位时说：“实际上我认为如果他这样做会很受欢迎。”
Trump told reporters on Wednesday that he is not considering replacing Hegseth, saying “I think he’s doing a very good job.”“I actually think he’d be very popular if he did that,” Trump said of Hegseth potentially filling Blackburn’s seat.
据《诺克斯维尔新闻哨兵报》报道，赫格塞斯于2022年与家人搬到了田纳西州。
Hegseth moved to Tennessee with his family in 2022, according to the Knoxville News Sentinel.
与此同时，赫格塞斯于周四在社交媒体上发布了一段视频，他在视频中承认了弹劾的威胁，并辩称此举将是“彻底的个人毁灭政治”，“这在我这里行不通。这一点你们可以放心。”
Meanwhile, Hegseth released a video on social media on Thursday in which he acknowledged the threat of impeachment and argued that the move would be “all about the politics of personal destruction” that “won’t work with me. You can rest assured of that.”
由于民主党领导的参议院明年将控制至少54个席位，特朗普在确认任何备受瞩目的联邦法官或内阁职位人选时，必将面临严峻障碍。
With a Democratic-led Senate that will control at least 54 seats next year, Trump is certain to face steep hurdles confirming any high-profile picks for federal judgeships or for Cabinet posts.
参议院少数党领袖、民主党人查克·舒默于周四对美联社表示，民主党人“不会允许任何糟糕的提名人”通过确认进入最高法院、更广泛的联邦司法机构或内阁。
Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., told The Associated Press on Thursday that Democrats are “not going to allow any crappy nominees” to be confirmed to the Supreme Court, the broader federal judiciary or to the Cabinet.