Andrew Puzder had not even officially withdrawn his nomination to be President Trump's labor secretary Wednesday when critics of the bid exulted in the news that he was pulling out.

Puzder, the chief executive of CKE Restaurants, which owns the Hardee's and Carl's Jr. franchises and is an outspoken conservative, had long been a controversial pick for the Cabinet post. He was opposed by many Democrats and liberal groups, particularly organized labor. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell told the White House Wednesday afternoon that Puzder did not have enough Republican votes for confirmation, according to the Washington Post. His first Senate confirmation hearing, which had been delayed four times, was scheduled for Thursday morning.

"Reports on @AndyPuzder withdrawing shows the power of collective action by workers. An indictment of everything he stands for," tweeted Richard Trumka, president of the AFL-CIO, the nation's largest labor federation.

"Today was another day of chaos of the Trump presidency. The withdrawal of Andy Puzder is another failure by this Trump presidency," said Tom Perez, former President Barack Obama's labor secretary who is running to become chairman of the Democratic National Committee. "We stood up, we fought back and we told Trump that he does not represent working people."

Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., was one of the first to react to media reports about the lack of Republican support. "I'm encouraged my Republican colleagues are starting to agree.

Sen. Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn., said he was "not surprised" by the news. "His policies and positions were so antithetical to the agency he was picked to lead. Why would he want this job. ... His record suggests he has no regard for worker safety and and fairness."

Washington Examiner reporter Al Weaver contributed to this report.