Prior to the Senate’s anticipated vote on President Donald Trump’s nominee for education secretary Tuesday, Democrats held an all-night speaking marathon on the Senate floor in Washington, D.C., in a show of opposition to the candidacy of Betsy DeVos.

U.S. Sen. Michael Bennet took the floor at about 6:30 p.m. Mountain Time.

“I have no doubt that Mrs. DeVos sincerely cares about children, and it is not her fault that President Trump nominated her,” Bennet said. “So let me be clear: I am addressing the President and not Mrs. DeVos when I say that this nomination is an insult to schoolchildren and their families, to teachers and principals and communities fighting to improve their public schools all across this country.”

“Even with the limited questioning allowed at the education committee hearing, it quickly became clear that Mrs. DeVos lacks the experience and understanding to be an effective Secretary of Education,” Bennet said.

“Mrs. DeVos has shown no evidence of her commitment to be the torchbearer for both excellence and equity,” Bennet said.

“A commitment to choice without a commitment to quality serves ideology rather than improvement. And a commitment to competition without a commitment to equity would forsake our democratic ideal that a free, high-quality public education must open the doors of opportunity for all.”

“Our young people cannot afford to wait four years for their chance at the American dream.”

“I will vote no on this nomination and urge my colleagues to do the same,” Bennet said.

The last-ditch effort by Democrats to sink DeVos’s nomination is expected to be unsuccessful as the Senate is poised to confirm DeVos by the narrowest possible margin, with Vice President Mike Pence expected to break a 50-50 tie.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.