CNN
 — 

The Senate voted on Wednesday to clear a key hurdle and advance President Joe Biden’s nomination of Eric Garcetti to be ambassador to India, paving the way for a final confirmation vote later this afternoon.

The chamber voted voted 52 to 42 to break a filibuster on the former Los Angeles mayor’s nomination, a sign that the previously embattled nomination, which had been in limbo, has now won a critical mass of support.

CNN reported last year that a number of Senate Democrats had privately expressed concerns over the nomination, which faced headwinds as a result of accusations that he had ignored alleged sexual harassment and bullying by one of his former senior aides. Garcetti has repeatedly denied the allegations that he ignored the alleged harassment.

As some Democrats signaled they needed more time to vet the nomination and reach a determination on whether to support it, the nomination stalled. Biden originally announced his intent to nominate Garcetti to the post in 2021.

But in a sign of forward momentum, the Senate Foreign Relations Committee voted last week to advance the nomination. The vote was 13-8 and two Republicans – Sens. Todd Young of Indiana and Bill Hagerty of Tennessee – voted with Democrats to support the nominee.

Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand, a New York Democrat who had been seen as a key holdout on the nomination, told CNN last Thursday that she will back Garcetti. Gillibrand said she is confident in the review by the Foreign Relations Committee.