https://www.fivethirtyeight.com/features/why-trumps-labor-nominee-failed
"President Trump’s choice to run the Labor Department, fast food CEO Andy Puzder, withdrew his nomination on Wednesday after it became clear that the Senate was unlikely to confirm him for the job.
Puzder’s nomination had been in trouble for a while. The CEO of the company that runs the Hardee’s and Carl’s Jr. burger chains, Puzder faced immediate opposition from labor groups, especially the “Fight for $15” minimum-wage movement, which has gained strength in recent years. But he also drew skepticism from some of Trump’s own supporters over his record on immigration and other issues. And his confirmation hearings were repeatedly delayed as he sought to sell off his restaurant holdings and untangle potential conflicts of interest. His most recent hearing date had been set for Thursday.
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Trump’s Cabinet nominees have faced unprecedented opposition in the Senate, but until now, they had all managed to get through. (Several nominees are still awaiting votes.) Puzder, like some of Trump’s other nominees, faced near-unanimous opposition from Democrats. But what doomed him were defections among Republicans: CNN on Wednesday reported that at least four and as many as 12 Republican senators were planning to vote against Puzder’s nomination. In a narrowly divided Senate, that was too much to overcome — Education Secretary Betsy DeVos got just two “no” votes from Republicans and still needed Vice President Mike Pence to break a 50-50 tie in order to be confirmed.
Why did Puzder fail where other controversial nominees succeeded? There is probably no single reason. He, like DeVos, faced well-organized opposition from liberal groups. Unlike DeVos, he was an awkward ideological fit for Trump’s blue-collar base of support. And in recent weeks he has faced a series of scandals or potential scandals: the revelation that he once employed an undocumented immigrant as a domestic worker; claims (since rescinded) of assault by his ex-wife; and accusations of labor violations at his restaurants. Puzder might have survived any one of those challenges; he couldn’t survive them all."...(more)
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