Story highlights Every Democrat on the Judiciary Committee opposes Sessions' nomination

He will need 51 votes to get confirmed in the full Senate

(CNN) The Senate Judiciary Committee Wednesday morning advanced the nomination of Jeff Sessions for attorney general in a party-line vote.

All 11 Republicans on the panel backed Sessions, an Alabama senator. All nine Democrats opposed him.

Sessions' nomination was already politically charged, but it has received even more scrutiny in the wake of President Donald Trump's executive order banning foreign nationals from seven Muslim-majority countries, his recent firing of acting attorney general Sally Yates, and his calls last week for a voter fraud investigation.

The committee was initially expected to vote Tuesday, but Democrats used a procedural maneuver to delay the committee vote until Wednesday.

Rhode Island Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse and Minnesota Sen. Al Franken were the two remaining Democrats left to speak on Wednesday and echoed their colleagues' views, walking through lengthy lists of their concerns with Sessions' record and highlighting his close allegiance to Trump.

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