Republican senators rallied unanimously around Pete Hegseth, President-elect Donald Trump’s nominee to be defense secretary, during his confirmation hearing Tuesday – a sign that he is likely on a smooth path to confirmation, just a month after his nomination became serious seemed to be in danger.

In the four-hour hearing before the Senate Armed Services Committee, Democrats asked sharp questions about the former Fox News host’s qualifications, his personal conduct and his views on women in the military. Republicans, however, expressed strong support for his years of military service and his strong opposition to what he described as the Biden administration’s fight to prioritize diversity over lethality in the military. Not a single Republican on the committee said they were likely to oppose Mr. Hegseth, suggesting he will win confirmation in the Republican-controlled Senate.

The most telling moment of the hearing was when Republican Sen. Joni Ernst of Iowa offered him an opportunity to clarify his previous comments criticizing women deployed in combat roles. Senator Ernst, an Army veteran who had been prevented by military policy from taking on a combat role because of her gender, had raised concerns about Mr. Hegseth’s nomination, both on the issue and over his personal conduct. But after a private meeting in which Mr. Hegseth promised her that he would support women in combat roles, she appeared to have changed her mind, amid a concerted pressure campaign from Trump allies to support him or face a Trump-backed primary opponent .