Pete Hegseth, President-elect Donald Trump's choice to be Defense secretary, appears before the Senate Armed Services Committee for his confirmation hearing, at the Capitol in Washington, Tuesday, Jan. 14, 2025. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)2025-01-14T17:30:04Z WASHINGTON (AP) Pete Hegseth faces an important test on Tuesday but he wont just have to prove himself to the senators who immediately began sparring over his nomination as Defense Secretary. His confirmation hearings are also an opportunity for Hegseth to make his case to the sizable share of Americans who dont know him or dont approve of President-elect Donald Trumps decision to tap him for this key role in his administration.A new poll finds only about 2 in 10 Americans approve of Hegseth being nominated as the Secretary of Defense, a position that would put the 44-year-old Army National Guard veteran and former Fox News Channel weekend host in charge of overseeing U.S. troops. The survey from The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research, which was conducted before Hegseths confirmation hearings began, finds that roughly one-third of U.S. adults disapprove of Trumps choice, and about 1 in 10 say they neither approve nor disapprove. About one-third of Americans say they dont know enough about Hegseth to have an opinion. Hegseths experience in the Army National Guard is seen by the incoming administration and supporters in Congress as an asset for the job, but he also brings a jarring record of past statements and actions, including allegations of sexual assault, excessive drinking and derisive views about women in military combat roles, minorities and woke generals. He has vowed not to drink alcohol if he is confirmed to lead the Pentagon. He is among the most endangered of Trumps cabinet picks, but GOP allies are determined to turn him into a cause clbre for Trumps governing approach amid the nations culture wars. Republican men are more likely to have an opinion of Hegseth and approve of his nominationMore Republicans approve than disapprove of Trump nominating Hegseth -- about 4 in 10 approve, and only about 1 in 10 disapprove. But many Republicans, about one-third, still dont have an opinion of him yet. About half of GOP men approve of Hegseth for Defense Secretary, compared to about one-third of Republican women. Republican women are less likely to express a view on his nomination either way. About half of Republican women do not have an opinion of him.Hegseth faced some criticism for saying he opposes putting women in combat roles. He has walked those comments back since his nomination, saying if we have the right standard and women meet that standard, roger. Lets go. Two former female combat veterans, Republican Sen. Joni Ernst of Iowa and Democrat Sen. Tammy Duckworth of Illinois, are among those who will question him.Older Republicans are also more likely to approve of Hegseths nomination. About half of Republicans over 45 approve, compared to about 3 in 10 Republicans under 45. The younger Republicans are also less likely to have formed an opinion of him.Only one-quarter see a lack of government experience as a plusHegseth acknowledged during his Tuesday hearing that he does not have the traditional background of past Defense secretaries, promising to be a change agent for the branch. The poll finds, though, that a lack of government experience isnt a positive for many Americans. About half of Americans say its a very or somewhat bad thing for the president to rely on people without any background in government for advice about government policy, and only about one-quarter say its a very or somewhat good thing. About one-quarter are neutral, calling it neither good nor bad. Republicans, however, are more likely than Democrats and independents to say its good for the president to rely on people without government experience for input on policy. About 4 in 10 Republicans say this is a good thing, compared to about 2 in 10 independents and roughly 1 in 10 Democrats.-Associated Press writers Lisa Mascaro, Tara Copp and Matt Brown contributed reporting from Washington, D.C.-The AP-NORC poll of 1,147 adults was conducted Jan. 9-13, using a sample drawn from NORCs probability-based AmeriSpeak Panel, which is designed to be representative of the U.S. population. The margin of sampling error for adults overall is plus or minus 3.9 percentage points. LINLEY SANDERS Sanders is a polls and surveys reporter for The Associated Press. She develops and writes about polls conducted by The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research, and works on AP VoteCast. twitter