Hegseth is in trouble. That doesn’t mean RFK Jr., Gabbard, or Patel will face the same.

Senate Republicans are pushing back firmly in vetting some of President-elect Donald Trump’s most controversial nominees. But it remains to be seen whether this will continue through the confirmation process – or whether this will be the high-water mark of resistance from the GOP.

Pete Hegseth, a Fox News host and Mr. Trump’s pick for secretary of defense, is facing strong headwinds to his nomination over questions about his character, notably reports of habitual heavy drinking and a sexual assault allegation (both of which he’s denied). Republican senators are openly expressing concerns about his alleged actions, and Mr. Trump is reportedly considering replacing Mr. Hegseth with Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis. The nominee’s struggles come after Matt Gaetz, Mr. Trump’s initial pick for attorney general, was forced to withdraw his nomination as numerous Republicans balked over allegations of drug use and sexual misconduct.

But while Mr. Trump has chosen a number of other deeply polarizing figures for other spots in his administration – like Kash Patel to lead the FBI, Tulsi Gabbard for director of national intelligence, and Robert F. Kennedy Jr. to lead the Department of Health and Human Services – they may face an easier path in the Senate. That is simply because, although their views and plans are far outside the historic norms for nominees to their jobs, at first blush they don’t seem to have the same level of personal baggage.

North Dakota Republican Sen. Kevin Cramer told the Monitor that the chances Mr. Hegseth will win confirmation are “tenuous,” and expressed concerns about his reported drinking problems. But he said he thought Mr. Trump would get more deference from Republican senators for his other polarizing nominees because their controversies were mostly “policy, versus the personal stuff.”

“The personal character things are not unimportant. I do think that they’ll get [more deference], they being Kash and Tulsi and RFK,” he said.

Some Democrats expect the same. Illinois Sen. Tammy Duckworth, who like Mr. Hegseth is an Iraq War veteran, said she “wouldn’t go that far” when asked if his imperiled nomination showed that her GOP colleagues were taking seriously their advice-and-consent role – and might show the same diligence for other controversial nominees.

“I think he’s such a terrible candidate with very, very clear issues that it’s hard for anybody to stand up and say that this man is actually qualified. I don’t think he’d even pass a background check,” she said.

Mark Schiefelbein/AP/File

Sen. Tammy Duckworth, D-Ill., speaks during a press event on Capitol Hill, Feb. 27, 2024, in Washington.

While Republicans immediately pushed back on Mr. Gaetz’s nomination, and many took a wait-and-see approach on Mr. Hegseth, they’ve been more vocal about defending other Trump nominees.

Texas Sen. John Cornyn, who sits on the Senate Judiciary Committee, said Thursday that Mr. Patel “will be” confirmed. “People I know and who I trust speak well of him and I’m looking forward to meeting with him,” Mr. Cornyn told conservative radio host Hugh Hewitt.

It’s notable that Mr. Trump is having more trouble getting his nominees confirmed this time than he did after he first won office, even though he faces a more favorable Senate.

Back in 2017, his Cabinet nominees faced a tougher crowd. Republicans had one fewer Senate seat, and there were a lot more Republican senators who were willing to outwardly criticize the president than there are now. But back then, he largely picked candidates who were palatable to Senate Republicans. This time, he’s gone fully with picks that reflect the anti-establishment ethos of his Make America Great Again movement, putting up nominees that leave even some of his regular Senate allies uncomfortable.

José Luis Villegas/AP/File

Kash Patel, former chief of staff to Acting Secretary of Defense Christopher Miller, speaks at a rally in Minden, Nevada, Oct. 8, 2022.

Mr. Kennedy, Mr. Patel, and Ms. Gabbard will all face their own hurdles. But many Senate Republicans don’t seem nearly as disquieted with them as they do with Mr. Hegseth.

Iowa GOP Sen. Joni Ernst, an Army veteran and survivor of sexual assault and a key vote on Mr. Hegseth’s nomination, said after meeting with him that she still wasn’t convinced she could support his nomination. “We have to have a very thorough vetting process,” she said in a Thursday Fox News interview.

Alaska GOP Sen. Lisa Murkowski, who is scheduled to meet with Mr. Hegseth next Monday, told the Monitor “I certainly have a lot of questions” about him that “stem from what I have read that you [journalists] have dutifully reported.”

Mr. Hegseth remains defiant. “As long as Donald Trump wants me here in this fight, I’m going to be standing here in this fight,” he told reporters Thursday afternoon.

But even Republican senators who back Mr. Hegseth have openly wondered whether he’ll stick through the process.

“I’m all-in for Pete. I think Pete will be great at this. It’s just – how long is he willing to go through this? You know, that’s tough. It’s a tough process,” said Oklahoma Sen. Markwayne Mullin.

Mr. Mullin said he didn’t expect an “easy process” for Mr. Trump’s other nominees. But he indicated they won’t face the same level of hesitation as Mr. Hegseth and Mr. Gaetz from the Republicans who will determine whether or not Mr. Trump’s nominees survive confirmation.

“I think he’s the most challenging nomination that the president’s put forth since Matt’s gone,” he said.