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Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth's blunders and bluster are about to become a central argument against Republican lawmakers in the upcoming midterm election, according to a new report.

Democratic candidates and campaign strategists consider the controversial Donald Trump Cabinet member to be a target-rich subject when it comes to putting their GOP opponents back on their heels, Politico reported Thursday.

"The more Hegseth puts himself out there, the more he does the work for us," said Matt Corridoni, a Democratic strategist told Politico.

"Normally the Secretary of Defense is not such a politically focused position, but he has pushed it into hyper politics. So you're going to see candidates using him as a foil more and more."

Hegseth's television personality has made him instantly recognizable, and his record of controversy provides endless ammunition for Democrats in key districts, the report states.

"Campaign planners said they expect candidates to call out Hegseth even more as the war against Iran continues," the report stated. "Trump has repeatedly said the Defense secretary was among the first and most vocal proponents of the fight, which has now lasted more than five months and led to a spike in global energy prices."

Cait Conley, an Iraq war veteran running for New York's 17th Congressional District, has been particularly brutal, calling Hegseth unqualified and incompetent while quipping that he knows "more about botox than bombs."

Rebecca Bennett, a former Navy helicopter pilot running for New Jersey's 7th Congressional District, has made Hegseth's removal a centerpiece of her campaign. She's called for his resignation at every stop, framing him as a threat to military integrity.

"Pete Hegseth is a disgrace to the office that he holds, and the reason why I believe he is deeply dangerous is partially because of the polarization," Bennett said.

"We have an obligation to call those things out when we see it, and to make sure that we are standing up for our service members who do not have the ability to speak out about these things."

Pro-MAGA Sen. Roger Marshall (R-KS) complained about facing a "purity test" from angry Republican voters, including his own parents, who he says were indoctrinated by watching Fox News.

Marshall, a top backer of President Donald Trump, is a Kansas senator who voted to reject the 2020 election results and is seeking re-election this fall.

The senator made the confession about tension in his family during a recent interview on 13th & Park, a podcast produced by Ballard Partners, a pro-Trump lobbying firm with a history of alleged ethical breaches.

"Well, I think the number one I hear is the cost of gas, the cost of groceries," Marshall said, describing what Kansans tell him when he travels the state. "Homes are unaffordable."

"The anger runs deeper than economics," he added. "I've never seen people so mad."

"And if you think about it, the job of the national media — what they try to do is make my parents mad," Marshall told the podcast, blaming right-wing media. "They sit home, and they watch Fox News and Newsmax, and guess what? They're mad at me. They're mad at John Thune. They're mad at Mitch McConnell. They're mad at Donald."

"There's this purity test. I feel this anger," he lamented. "More than ever before... It's so easy to create hate."

Marshall's parents join a growing group of voters who are enraged at the senator.

In March 2025, Marshall walked out of a town hall in Oakley, Kansas — a rural community in a county where Trump won 85% of the vote — after constituents booed him and shouted "You're not done," according to local reporting.

"We don't have time for everyone to stand up. I do got two more commitments today. I appreciate everybody making the drive out and God bless America," Marshall told the crowd before walking out to boos and shouts.

"That is a damn shame," said Chuck Nunn, a local resident who raised concerns about Trump administration cuts to veterans' services, as the crowd applauded.

On his own Senate website, Marshall has declared, "We all want to make America great again."

State election records show he faces a Republican primary on Aug. 4 and a general election on Nov. 3.