Senator Joni Ernst, Republican of Iowa, introduced on an area information radio present on Tuesday that she would vote to verify Pete Hegseth as the following secretary of protection, ending weeks of hypothesis over whether or not she would break with President-elect Donald J. Trump over his decide.

“I might be supporting President Trump’s decide for secretary of protection, Pete Hegseth,” Ms. Ernst stated on WHO Information Radio 1040, a station in Des Moines.

Her determination dramatically will increase the probability that Mr. Hegseth could have sufficient votes to be confirmed by the Senate. As a result of Democrats are anticipated to oppose him en masse, Mr. Hegseth can afford to lose not more than three Republican votes. After Ms. Ernst’s announcement, solely a handful of G.O.P. senators’ votes could also be in play; Senators Susan Collins of Maine, John Curtis of Utah, Mitch McConnell of Kentucky, Lisa Murkowski of Alaska and Todd Younger of Indiana haven’t but stated how they’ll vote.

Ms. Ernst was seen as a doubtlessly pivotal swing vote for Mr. Hegseth, whose candidacy has been sophisticated by allegations of sexual assault, public drunkenness and company mismanagement. Ms. Ernst, a survivor of sexual assault and the Senate’s first feminine fight veteran, has actively campaigned for increasing alternatives for feminine service members and was a number one G.O.P. voice agitating for adjustments to how the army handles sexual assault circumstances.

However it was clear throughout Mr. Hegseth’s affirmation listening to on Tuesday that regardless of her preliminary reservations about Mr. Hegseth’s bid, Ms. Ernst had come to embrace the concept of his main the Pentagon. Although Ms. Ernst stated at first of her questioning that she was somebody who would “pull no punches,” she didn’t problem Mr. Hegseth — and at one level, even tried to rebut allegations that he had mismanaged the veterans nonprofits he ran.

Ms. Ernst’s later announcement that she would vote to verify Mr. Hegseth accomplished an evolution that had been underway for weeks, amid a concerted strain marketing campaign to again his bid.