Democratic Sen. Kyrsten Sinema joined Republicans Tuesday in supporting the confirmation of President Donald Trump's nominee for attorney general.
There are still two Senate votes left, but Tuesday's procedural vote virtually assures that William Barr will be the next attorney general.
The Senate vote was 55-44, with Democrats Joe Manchin of West Virginia and Doug Jones of Alabama also siding with the GOP.
In an exclusive interview with 12 News' Brahm Resnik ahead of the vote, Sinema revealed her thinking in supporting the Republican president's pick in her first major confirmation vote.
"I listened carefully to Mr. Barr's public hearings and had the opportunity to interview him privately," Sinema said.
"I feel satisfied that he believes in faithfully executing the laws of our country and will defend not only federal law, but defend our constitution against any threats to it."
Barr would succeed Jeff Sessions, who was forced out by President Trump in November after enduring months of Trump's scorn over the Special Counsel Robert Mueller's investigation.
Republican Sen. Martha McSally had signaled her support for Barr after their meeting at the end of January.
"I was pleased to hear that Barr wants to prioritize combating transnational criminal organizations and human traffickers within the Department of Justice," McSally said in a prepared statement.
In their wide-ranging interview, Sinema told Resnik she believed Barr would stand up to pressure from Trump.
"I believe he would resign if he was asked to do something he felt it was inappropriate for the attorney general to do," Sinema said
Democrats opposing the Barr nomination raised questions about his independence from the president and his willingness to release the final Mueller report.
You can find links to all five segments of the Sinema interview in the upper-left corner of the video below.