Heidi Heitkamp becomes first Democratic senator to say she'll vote for Mike Pompeo
CIA Director Mike Pompeo is vying to become the next secretary of state, and on Thursday his efforts got a significant boost.
Democratic Sen. Heidi Heitkamp (N.D.) announced her support for Pompeo in a statement Thursday, becoming the first Democratic senator to indicate she would vote to confirm Pompeo as America's chief diplomat. Heitkamp said Pompeo is "committed to empowering the diplomats at the State Department so they can do their jobs in advancing American interests."
Full Heitkamp statement on her decision to vote YES on the Pompeo nomination. This just about pushes Pompeo across the finish line (depending on Flake), with a handful of other Dems still making up their minds: pic.twitter.com/vwWQV1t9EJ
— Phil Mattingly (@Phil_Mattingly) April 19, 2018
That vote could put Pompeo across the finish line, per CBS News — even if one Republican isn't his favor. Kentucky Sen. Rand Paul hasn't backtracked on his intention to vote down or even filibuster the nomination, but Heitkamp's vote would make up for it. Still, Arizona's Republican senators may complicate things, as Jeff Flake is still up in the air and John McCain is away from the Capitol undergoing cancer treatment.