Despite protests both across the country and in Anchorage, Senator Lisa Murkowski voted to progress Betsy DeVos' nomination to the next step, before confirmation as Secretary of Education.

The number of yes votes to no votes was 12 to 11.

Now, the vote will go to the full Senate, before DeVos can be confirmed for the position.

However, in the statement from Murkowski's office, she says that while she voted "yes" in the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP) Committee, she does not necessarily support DeVos' confirmation.

"The full Senate should have the opportunity to vote on those nominees. I also said that when it comes to the vote on her confirmation, don’t count on my vote,” Murkowski said in the statement.

Murkowski said that the decision was "very personal, as education is very personal to me." Murkowski continued to say that she admires DeVos, as she is using her time to help children access better education.

End Citizens United, a watchdog group for campaign finance reform, says DeVos has personally donated over $40,000 to Murkowski's campaign.

Communications Director for Murkowski, Karina Petersen, says that they do not "follow" contributions made to the campaign. "I don’t know if that is that is an accurate number," Petersen said in an email.

On Monday, hundreds gathered outside of Murkowski's office in protest ahead of Tuesday's vote. The consensus of the crowd saying that DeVos was unqualified for the job.

Protester Thomas Crowley said, "We need to protect our public schools, and I don't think Betsy DeVos is the person we can count on to do that."

Patty Trott, a concerned parent also present at the protest in Anchorage, raised the issue that DeVos' own children attend private school.

"I have a daughter that's in the public school, and I think that it's unconscionable that the DeVos is being nominated for secretary of education when... none of her children have ever been to public school," Trott said.

A date has not yet been set for the full senate hearing of DeVos; however, Murkowski's vote there could be a deciding factor, as it was in the 12-11 decision in the committee vote.

The full senate is composed of 52 Republicans, 46 Democrats, and 2 Independents. The vote required to confirm DeVos would be 51.

DeVos drew fire early on during confirmation hearings for notably saying guns could find their way into schools to protect students from bears.

"I think probably there, I would imagine that there's probably a gun in the school to protect from potential grizzlies," DeVos said. The expression "potential grizzlies" later trended on Twitter.