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Senate Committee Okays John Kerry for State

Next up: a vote to confirm him (or not)

by
Adam Chandler
January 29, 2013
John Kerry(CSM)
John Kerry(CSM)

Noted windsurfer and Massachusetts Senator John Kerry was officially recommended by the Senate Foreign Relations Committee to be the next secretary of state, a post for which he was nominated by President Obama.

The committee’s unanimous voice vote was registered in a brief hearing in an ornate hearing room in the Capitol, where the committee typically holds its business meetings. Kerry, who is chairman of the committee and was absent for the vote, strode in moments later and went around the room thanking individual colleagues for their support.



“You’re going to be an incredible secretary of state,” said acting committee chairman Robert Menendez, the New Jersey Democrat, who cited Kerry’s “lightning speed” approval by the committee.

Now it’s on to the Senate where Kerry’s nomination will be almost certainly be confirmed by a vote.

Adam Chandler was previously a staff writer at Tablet. His work has appeared in the New York Times, the Wall Street Journal, the Atlantic, Slate, Esquire, New York, and elsewhere. He tweets @allmychandler.