'This is my issue': Trump allies give ultimatum to GOP senator up for reelection

One Senate Republican who has had a tepid response to several of President-elect Donald Trump's Cabinet nominees is now in the crosshairs of some of Trump's top allies — including one from her own state.

On Friday, NBC News reported that all eyes are on Sen. Joni Ernst (R-Iowa) during next year's confirmation hearings for some of the president-elect's most controversial picks. Ernst, who is a military veteran and sexual assault survivor, has not yet stated whether Defense Secretary-designate Pete Hegseth would get her vote when his confirmation comes to the Senate floor. Her vote could be one of the few that sink him, as Republicans have just 53 seats and four Republican defections would tank a nominee's chances.

While she remains noncommittal, Ernst has warmed to Hegseth in recent days despite a looming sexual assault allegation from 2017 (which resulted in him paying the accuser an undisclosed sum of money in a 2020 settlement). NBC also spoke with several of his current and former colleagues at Fox News, who said that Hegseth had a pattern of showing up to work hung over and smelling of alcohol.

READ MORE: 'Acted like the rules didn't apply': Hegseth's coworkers say he often showed up drunk on set

But according to Iowa-based evangelical activist Bob Vander Plaats, Ernst may face a primary challenge in 2026, when she's up for reelection, if she doesn't accommodate Trump enough to support his Cabinet nominees' confirmation.

"This is my issue: She’s not fully supportive of President Trump and his agenda and the selection of his team," he said.

One Republican who could emerge to challenge the two-term senator is conservative talk radio host Steve Deace, who hinted that he may end up formally entering the 2026 Republican primary if he gets Trump's blessing. And far-right activist Charlie Kirk of Turning Point USA has said that his group would support primary challengers to challenge Republicans who aren't sufficiently pro-Trump enough for his liking.

“Donald Trump is king of the Republican Party; he conquered it, and he earned it,” Deace told NBC. “If he doesn’t want Joni Ernst to be a senator anymore, she won’t be.”

READ MORE: 'I cannot stay silent': Pete Hegseth's mother condemns his 'abusive behavior' against women

Click here to read NBC's report in full.