Confirmation vote for CIA nominee exposes Democratic rift

WASHINGTON (AP) — Political divisions within the Democratic Party are playing out in the vote to confirm President Donald Trump’s nominee to lead the CIA.

After a favorable 10-5 vote on Gina Haspel’s nomination by the Senate Intelligence Committee, her confirmation by the Senate seems all but certain.

On one side of the Democratic divide is a growing list of a half-dozen senators whom many see as the future of the big-tent party. They are rural, noncoastal representatives of states won by Trump, places where some say the party needs to win back voters.

On the other are those in the comfort of blue-state incumbency, including liberal leaders who may take on Trump in 2020. Their opposition to Haspel fuels a fired-up base pushing for a more progressive, battle-tested party.