Can Defense Department employees run for political office? No, because the Defense Department prohibits civilian employees from running for political office under the Hatch Act, a

On July 29, NBC reported that Hegseth has "privately discussed the idea of running for political office." While the Pentagon’s chief spokesman Sean Parnell denied any idea of Hegseth vying for the governorship in Tennessee, the Secretary of Defense could run for office should he choose to leave his current post.

The Comedy Central series noted the recent rumblings that Hegseth is considering stepping down from his role in the Trump administration to run for Governor of Tennessee next year. "Wow, Pete! What an awesome idea.