Retiring Sen. Barbara Mikulski Gives Obama 34th Vote to Secure Iran Deal Approval

Sen. Barbara Mikulski, D-Md., announced her support for the Iran deal Wednesday, giving President Obama the 34th vote needed to ensure approval in Congress. The development comes ahead of a speech on the agreement by Secretary of State John Kerry, but now the administration has enough backing to sustain a veto of a Republican bill opposing it if that bill passed in a vote later this month.

“No deal is perfect, especially one negotiated with the Iranian regime. I have concluded that this Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action is the best option available to block Iran from having a nuclear bomb,” Mikulski said in a statement. “For these reasons, I will vote in favor of this deal. However, Congress must also reaffirm our commitment to the safety and security of Israel.”

On Tuesday, two key Senate Democrats–Sen. Chris Coons, D-Delaware, and Sen. Bob Casey, D-Penn.–all but ensured approval when they announced they would support it. However, the deal remains deeply unpopular by large bipartisan majorities of the American people and Congress.

According to PPD tracking of the average of polls on the Iran deal, opposition has held steady since the president announced the agreement with the regime in Tehran. On average, 58% of Americans oppose the deal negotiated by the president and Secretary of State John Kerry, while just 29% on average support it.

While GOP congressional leaders in D.C. are quietly and privately breathing a sigh of relief–mainly because they are almost certain to avoid a filibuster fight in the Senate–many lawmakers and pro-Israel activists in both parties are furious over the approval of what many believe should’ve been subject to treaty ratification. Rather than needing 41 votes to approve the deal, President Obama and supporting Democrats would have needed 67 votes in the Senate to ratify the deal.