On Tuesday, the Senate confirmed Army Lt. Col. Mark Esper to officially take over as U.S. Secretary of Defense.

Esper fills a job that has been vacant since the departure of James Mattis back in December. He took over as Acting Secretary after previous Acting Secretary Patrick Shanahan stepped down last month.

Esper was confirmed by a 90-8 vote. Five of the eight ‘no’ votes came from Democratic 2020 candidates Kamala Harris, Elizabeth Warren, Cory Booker, Kirsten Gillibrand, and Amy Klobuchar.

The 55-year-old Esper served 10 years in the Army and 11 with the National Guard and Army Reserve before working as a lobbyist for the defense industry.

Source: https://www.foxnews.com/politics/senate-confirms-esper-as-new-secretary-of-defense-in-90-8-vote