House Republican leaders are bracing for enough GOP defections to impeach Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth when the measure comes to a vote this week.

Why it matters Republicans who were defeated in Tuesday's election-night bloodbath have little left to lose and could be more willing to back impeaching Hegseth, whose overall support has eroded since the start of the Iran war.

• Hegseth doesn't have "a lot of love" on Capitol Hill, retiring Rep. Don Bacon (R-Neb.) told Fox News. Bacon told Axios he's undecided on this week's vote.

Driving the news: Rep. Thomas Massie (R-Ky.) is planning to force a vote on his resolution to impeach Hegseth for allegedly defying Congress and illegally continuing the U.S. war in Iran.

• Republican leaders avoided the measure before Election Day after Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) canceled votes and sent lawmakers home early.

• Johnson has denied his decision to send members home was related to the impeachment vote, but it would have been a politically difficult vote for Republicans just weeks before the midterms.

• The political calculus has now shifted dramatically since Tuesday, with the GOP's crushing defeat fueling anger within the conference and increasing the number of Republicans willing to back impeachment.

The big picture: blame game is already in full swing among House Republicans, with the Iran war emerging as a top target of their ire.

• "Iran, Iran, Iran ... We should have never done the war before the midterms," a GOP lawmaker told Axios.

• Hegseth is the face of the war for many on Capitol Hill, putting him in the crosshairs of frustrated Republicans.

• Another GOP lawmaker told Axios that Hegseth's tone and rhetoric have been "very damaging to our ability to get the facts out to the American people on why the strikes targeting Iran's nuclear facilities, and the additional military actions, were necessary."

Zoom in: Hegseth is also on "thin ice" with the Trump administration, with some officials pushing for his ouster, Axios' Marc Caputo and Alex Isenstadt reported • Trump defended Hegseth on Wednesday, telling reporters he has every intention to "keep him" in his post.

• If Hegseth is still around come January, the new Democratic majority will have the power to pursue investigations and impeachment proceedings.

The other side: Hegseth is fighting back, calling the impeachment effort a "sham" led by a "disgruntled, defeated congressman" in a Thursday.

• Massie, who lost his primary to a Trump-backed opponent, fired back, urging Trump to replace Hegseth while Republicans still control the Senate. "There is one contingency in which I won't reintroduce the articles of impeachment: Hegseth resigns," Massie wrote.

Chief Pentagon spokesman Sean Parnell said in a statement to Axios: "Secretary Hegseth will not back down or be deterred by politicians seeking to score partisan points or launch phony investigations where no wrongdoing exists. The Department of War has followed the law, and our Secretary will continue to stand and fight every single day to support and defend the Constitution, lead our troops, and protect America."

• "We will continue to drive President Trump's agenda at the Department of War — despite threats of sham witch hunts from Democrats — and Secretary Hegseth is 100% committed to leading the Department until the end of President Trump's term in office." Reality check:

Even if the House impeaches Hegseth, removing him from office would require a two-thirds vote in the Senate, a threshold that would be difficult to achieve, even when Democrats take control of the chamber in January.