Betsy DeVos. Photo: Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images

Betsy DeVos is clinging to the Education Department with a single finger. Or, more precisely, a single Republican vote. No Senate Democrats are expected to support the billionaire Amway heiress’s bid to “build God’s kingdom” at the DOE. Even Joe “all I am saying is give Trump a chance” Manchin doesn’t want a school voucher activist who has never attended — nor sent her children to — a public school overseeing American education. And on Wednesday, Maine’s favorite moderate conservative said the same.

Sen Collins on the floor -- announcing NO VOTE ON DEVOS — Erica Werner (@ericawerner) February 1, 2017

Minutes later, Alaska Republican Lisa Murkowski hopped on the bandwagon. Until Wednesday, every Republican senator had voted for every Trump cabinet nominee that’d come up for a vote (as did Blue America’s favorite math teacher, Tim Kaine). The fact that Collins is comfortable backing Jeff Sessions, but not DeVos, illustrates why Republicans are so eager to decimate public-sector unions.

GOP Sen. Lisa Murkowski announces she is a NO on education secretary nominee Betsy DeVos; GOP Sen. Susan Collins also NO. DeVos may go down. — Bradd Jaffy (@BraddJaffy) February 1, 2017

So, there appear to be at least 50 DeVos naysayers in the Senate. But with Mike Pence holding the tie-breaking vote, liberals need one more defection to send Betsy packing — or, for Senate Republicans to give their favorite racist a promotion, post-haste.

So McConnell has to wait to confirm Sessions until after Senate votes on Devos to allow him to vote on her and Pence to be the tiebreaker — Sam Stein (@samstein) February 1, 2017

Seeing as Mitch McConnell knows how to count, the latter probably isn’t going to happen. But Nevada Republican Dean Heller will be running for reelection in a Clinton state in 2018. And Jeff Flake knows that Arizona isn’t as red as it used to be. Surely, they would both appreciate the advice of their constituents on this matter — perhaps via a phone call.