Democrats rounded up a last-ditch effort to prevent Devos from leading the Department of Education by holding a 24-hour rally on the Senate floor on Monday. They burned the midnight oil on the floor of the Senate all night long in an attempt to sway one more Republican to vote against Devos' nomination. This was not a fillibuster, however, which obstructs a vote from taking place. 

Senate Democrats did not show up for the vote, but Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell requested to that quorum not be mandatory. Pence, whose vice presidency grants him presidency over the Senate, approved the motion. 

Devos' candidacy became controversial after an awkward Senate hearing that caused senators to request Devos return for a more questioning. It never happened.

The Devos family has poured at least $200 million into conservative causes, according to a 2014 Mother Jones analysis. Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders asked "I have heard the number is $200 million, does that sound in the ballpark?" Devos replied, "collectively, between my family, that's possible."

However, in a 1997 article published in Roll Call, Devos wrote, "I know a little something about soft money, as my family is the single largest contributor of soft money to the national Republican Party," according to Jane Mayer's book "Dark Money."

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