By a 15-8 vote Tuesday, the Senate Finance Committee confirmed the nomination of Kansas Governor Kathleen Sebelius (D) for the role of secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services. The full Senate is expected to vote on her confirmation soon, though no date has been officially set.

Sebelius has been elected twice to serve as the governor of Kansas, a heavily Republican state. Supporters say the experience she gained walking that political high-wire in her home state will prepare her for the upcoming challenges of garnering bipartisan support for healthcare reform. Sebelius has long favored home and community based services for the elderly, while at the same time advocating the important role nursing homes play in senior care, according to healthcare officials in Kansas. (McKnight’s, 2/20)

More politically conservative members of the Finance Committee held up the nomination vote over concerns about the governor’s ties to a Kansas abortion doctor, who had donated money to both Sebelius’ re-election campaign and political action group. The Finance Committee vote split along party lines, with only two Republican senators-Olympia Snowe (R-ME) and Pat Roberts (R-KA)-breaking rank.