The Republican senators who could be headaches for Trump’s nominees

Sens. Lisa Murkowski, Thom Tillis, and Susan Collins could all emerge as key swing votes when it comes to confirming Trump’s more controversial nominees.

President-elect Donald Trump has begun rolling out nominees for his administration, and some of them — particularly those nominated for Cabinet-level positions — will have to be confirmed by the Senate.

Trump has begun pushing the idea of “recess appointments,” which would allow him to staff up his administration without the Senate’s input. But it’s unclear whether senators will fully acquiesce to that demand.

In the meantime, Trump will have to deal with a 53-47 Senate. If he nominates a candidate who Democrats uniformly oppose, he will only be able to lose three votes from his own party.

Some of his appointees are likely to have an easy time. For example, Sen. Marco Rubio of Florida appears likely to get significant Democratic support in a confirmation vote to be Secretary of State.

But others are far more controversial, including Pete Hegseth’s nomination to be Secretary of Defense and former Rep. Matt Gaetz’s nomination to be Attorney General.

Trump is dealing with a more obedient party than he was during his first term, owing to successive election cycles where some of his intraparty antagonists have either retired or gone down to defeat.

Still, there will be a handful of senators to watch as the Senate begins holding confirmation hearings in January.

Sen. Susan Collins of Maine

Collins arguably has more reason to oppose Trump’s nomination than any other Republican senator.

For one, she’s up for reelection in 2026 in Maine, a Democratic-leaning state that Republicans have not won at the presidential level since 1988. In other words, she needs the support of a significant number of Democrats to win, if she chooses to run again.

Ideologically, Collins is one of the most moderate members of the Senate GOP conference. Over the past several years, she’s been involved in several bipartisan deals, including the bipartisan infrastructure law and a law to protect same-sex marriage. She has also frequently crossed the aisle to vote for President Joe Biden’s nominees.

During Trump’s first administration, she voted against two of Trump’s Cabinet nominees and Supreme Court Justice Amy Coney Barrett. She has also said she didn’t vote for Trump in 2016 or 2024.

Sen. Lisa Murkowski of Alaska

Murkowski, a Republican from Alaska, is also a major name to watch. She has said she’s never voted for Trump and has been highly critical of the president-elect.

Though she’s not up for reelection until 2028, she has historically relied on crossover support from Democrats and independent voters.

Murkowski also voted against confirming Betsy DeVos, and she voted against Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh.

Sen. Thom Tillis of North Carolina

FILE PHOTO: Sen. Thom Tillis, R-N.C., asks a question during the Senate Judiciary Committee hearing in Dirksen Senate Office Building in Washington, D.C., June 16, 2020.

Tillis doesn’t have a strong reputation for bucking his own party, particularly on nominees, but there’s some reason to believe this year could be different.

The North Carolina senator is up for reelection in 2026, and his Senate seat will undoubtedly be one of the Democrats’ top targets. Though Vice President Kamala Harris lost the state in 2024, several Democratic candidates won statewide office.

Upon hearing about Gaetz’s nomination on Wednesday, Tillis expressed some skepticism, telling reporters that it would “take a lot of work” for the Florida Republican to get a majority of votes and that it would be a “popcorn-eating confirmation hearing.”

Sen. Rand Paul of Kentucky

Unlike the other potential roadblocks, Paul doesn’t have political reasons to oppose Trump nominees.

But Paul isn’t your average Republican. He has staunchly libertarian views on foreign policy and surveillance issues, and during Trump’s first term, he voted against two of his Cabinet picks: CIA Director Mike Pompeo and Director of National Intelligence Dan Coats.

Paul will be a vote to watch when Rubio is up for confirmation as Secretary of State, given that the two have divergent views on foreign policy. Earlier this week, he declined to comment on Rubio’s nomination.

Otherwise, Paul is likely to be an easy vote for most of Trump’s nominees.

He’s set to become chairman of the Senate Homeland Security and Government Affairs Committee, and he told colleagues in a letter on Thursday that his committee will “expeditiously move President Trump’s critical nominees” through the committee by inauguration day, including Gov. Kristi Noem of South Dakota, Trump’s nominee to be Secretary of the Department of Homeland Security.

Other possibilities

Former Rep. Matt Gaetz could draw more GOP opposition than other nominees.

Most Republican senators are likely to give Trump the rubber-stamp when it comes to his nominees.

But there’s reason to believe that the president-elect’s more extreme picks could draw opposition from more than the usual suspects.

Gaetz, for example, has drawn immediate criticism from Republicans who are otherwise likely to support Trump and his nominees.