The Senate voted 53-46 on Wednesday to confirm former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee as U.S. ambassador to Israel, with only Sen. John Fetterman (D-PA) breaking ranks to support him.

“He’ll have all the votes that he needs,” Fetterman told Jewish Insider last month of his plans to vote for Huckabee. “He’s been in public life for a while. Our politics are definitely different, but he’s deeply devoted to Israel, as I am, so I can’t imagine voting against him.”

Huckabee’s past comments supporting Israeli annexation of the West Bank and opposing a two-state solution, among others, have been a deal-breaker for most Senate Democrats, even vocal supporters of Israel.

Sen. Jacky Rosen (D-NV), one of the Senate’s most outspoken pro-Israel Democrats, said she shared those concerns following her vote against advancing Huckabee’s nomination out of the Foreign Relations Committee.

“While I appreciate Gov. Huckabee’s deep commitment to Israel’s security, I have grave concerns about his support for fully annexing the West Bank, and I have serious doubts about his ability to ensure that support for Israel remains bipartisan and doesn’t become a political football,” Rosen said in a statement last week. “For these reasons, I opposed his nomination as U.S. Ambassador to Israel. However, if he is confirmed, I am committed to developing a relationship with Gov. Huckabee and working with him to maintain a strong U.S.-Israel relationship.” 

Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) also voted no on Huckabee’s nomination. A spokesperson for Schumer did not immediately respond to JI’s request for comment on his opposition. 

Senate Republicans, meanwhile, rallied around Huckabee and defended him as the right choice for the role going into Wednesday’s vote. Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-SD) and Senate Majority Whip John Barrasso (R-WY), the No. 2 Senate Republican, urged their colleagues to stand behind Huckabee in floor speeches ahead of the vote.

“I know that once he is confirmed, Amb. Huckabee will be a strong and supportive voice for Israel and for America’s interests from his post in Jerusalem,” Thune said. 

Calling Huckabee a “fierce friend” to the Jewish state and the “right leader to have in this important role,” Barrasso noted how the former governor had “visited Israel more than 100 times. He knows its people, its purpose, its potential, and its promise.”

“Gov. Huckabee’s confirmation will strengthen the unbreakable bond between America and Israel. It is a bond that is stronger than ever under President Trump. Security is the backbone of our special relationship. Shared values are its moral bedrock. Liberty, faith, and opportunity are our shared beliefs. That is why America has always supported Israel,” Barrasso said.

After detailing the Trump administration’s efforts to support Israel, Barrasso added that Huckabee’s confirmation will “improve on that stellar record,” describing him as “the right man at the right time with the right values to carry forward that cause.”

The nomination has also divided Jewish community groups, with the Reform movement and liberal-leaning groups rejecting Huckabee and the Orthodox Union, Republican Jewish Coalition and other conservative-leaning groups supporting him.

The result is similar to the increasingly polarized votes for other recent ambassadors to Israel: David Friedman, Trump’s Israel ambassador in his first term, received the support of just two Democrats, and Jack Lew, who served under former President Joe Biden, received the support of only one Republican. Tom Nides, who also served under Biden, in something of an exception, was confirmed by voice vote.