Pete Hegseth’s nomination was in trouble. Put forth by President Trump to serve as Secretary of Defense in the new administration, Hegseth was besieged by a flurry of news reports about both his professional credentials and personal failings, leaving him vulnerable to attack from the administration’s critics. The attention generated just enough doubt among key senators who held the fate of Hegseth’s confirmation in their hands.
Opposition reached a critical juncture, as news reports indicated the administration was open to alternative nominees. The nomination support team had to take steps to generate immediate pressure on key senators if they were going to reverse their fortunes. In order to win, they had to go “Outside/In”.
The Outside/In strategic approach to advocacy is built around two, fundamental principles: First, elected officials like their job and they want to keep it. Second, their priorities are defined by a simple question they ask themselves each day: “What are we hearing from the folks back home?”
Hegseth’s nomination support team embraced these principles and quickly organized a barrage of Outside/In activity designed to communicate the political incentives–and consequences–of support for Hegseth’s nomination. Hegseth’s team unleashed outside advocacy organizations and their grassroots networks, high-profile MAGA media influencers, and everyday political activists across key states. This effort generated the exact level of volume and intensity needed to shift the political momentum in their favor.
The Outside/In strategy was crucial, and effective. As a result of the state-focused grassroots and media pressure, key senators quickly communicated public support, chatter about alternative nominees faded, and the odds shifted in Hegseth’s favor. Facing a polarized political environment and the narrowest of vote margins in Congress, Hegseth’s nomination was secured with a 51-50 vote, with Vice President JD Vance registering the tie-breaker.
Penta’s Outside/In approach is designed to keep our clients a step ahead while navigating today’s stakeholder landscape. Some key considerations for companies and organizations:
- First movers have the advantage. Staying a step ahead requires initiative and vigilance. Hegseth’s opponents (there were many) could have deployed the Outside/In strategy to tank his nomination. Instead, they hesitated. A strategy shaped by resolve, particularly in this political environment, is better-positioned to beat one shaped by indecision. A key takeaway: If your competition or critics seize the initiative and go Outside/In against you, you could be the one facing the disadvantage.
- Political actors respond to political incentives. For advocates aiming to succeed in today’s polarized landscape, the critical question is straightforward: Who will communicate the political incentives to the public first—you, or your opposition?
- Outside/In enhances your organization’s existing capabilities. Hegseth never abandoned his shoe-leather approach to Capitol Hill. He remained committed to direct, in-person meetings while the Outside/In strategy was being deployed. The lesson: Your government relations and lobbying operation is more effective when it's backed by a symphony of voices making noise back home and in the media marketplace. CEO face-time with policymakers is important. Its effectiveness is enhanced when it is amplified by thousands of additional faces and voices carrying that same message of support behind them.
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Find more insights and analysis at Just Maddening.
