Former California labor chief Julie Sus, trying to become President Biden’s Labor secretary, is languishing, showing how difficult it can be for a progressive Californian to get Senate confirmation in a deeply divided Washington.

Su, who would become Biden’s first Asian-American cabinet secretary, faces fierce GOP opposition and will need unanimous or near-unanimous support from the Senate Democratic caucus to gain confirmation. But while Biden Su chose the job in February, Sen. Mark Kelly (D-Ariz.), Joe Manchin III (DW.Va.), Kyrsten Sinema (I-Ariz.) and Jon Tester (D-Mont.) have yet to not reach their decision. Manchin, Sinema and Tester face reelection in 2024, raising the stakes of their decisions.

Were not there yet, Senator Mazie Hirono (D-Hawaii), a longtime champion of Su, told The Times on Monday. We’re going to push for the votes she needs, and that’s it. Whatever the reluctance, we have to deal with it and get her over the hurdle.

A group called Stand Against Su, which describes itself as a coalition of small businesses, freelancers, tipped employees and franchisees working together to oppose Julie Su, paid for billboard ads in key senatorial states attacking Su. Biden nominee Julie Su wants to turn Montana into California, reads an ad. Biden nominee Julie Su wants to turn off the lights in West Virginia, warns another.

In press statements, Republicans have described Su as an anti-corporate policymaker who supports laws that make it harder for employers and employees to do their jobs. They bound her to Assembly Bill 5, a California law that requires companies to classify most employees as employees, not independent contractors. They claim that if confirmed, Su would promote similar policies nationally, which would stop gig workers from taking jobs they want. Su has said she will not pursue a national equivalent of AB 5.

Republicans have also pointed to Sus’s oversight of California’s Employment Development Department, which reported $20 billion in fraudulent jobless claims in 2021. Her supporters say Su inherited an already broken system when she took over the department, noting that labor fraud increased across the country during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Because of her misplaced record in California, we are deeply concerned about possible catastrophic consequences at the federal level if Ms. Su becomes secretary. For these reasons, we request that you withdraw her nomination to serve as your next Secretary of Labor, House Republicans, including Bakersfield Chairman Kevin McCarthy, wrote in an April letter to President Biden.

Before arriving in Washington, Su quickly rose through the ranks of labor regulators, spending seven years at the helm of California’s Labor and Workforce Development Agency. Two years ago, the Senate voted along party lines to confirm Su as Deputy Secretary of Labor. Those who know Su say she hasn’t changed since. But the political climate has changed, making her confirmation less certain.

I don’t think anything has changed regarding her qualifications or her ability to do the job, said Bill Wong, a longtime Democratic strategist. I think what has changed is the political calculation that Republicans are counting on to try and take over the Senate.

Blocking Su’s nomination serves an important political purpose for Republicans, Wong added: The GOP wants to make the presidency look weak by blocking one of his nominations.

White House aides remain confident they can secure Sus confirmation.

White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre told reporters Tuesday afternoon that the full press to confirm Su the White House announced last month is still ongoing. Senior White House officials gather nightly during a war room call to share updates on her nomination. White House Chief of Staff Jeff Zients and Louisa Terrell, director of legal affairs, Jean-Pierre added, regularly speak several times a week with Senate Majority Leader Charles E. Schumer (DN.Y. ) and other senior senators on Sus’s nomination, including during the height of the debt ceiling battle.

But the administration’s efforts won’t be enough if Schumer can’t find 50 votes for Su.

Manchin has not given a timeline for his decision. Alaska Sen. Lisa Murkowski, a Republican who occasionally supports Biden’s cabinet picks, has yet to make a decision on Su and could offset one Democratic vote against the acting secretary.

How Julie Su’s Successes and Misadventures in California Shaped Her Controversial Nomination for Labor Secretary

Senate confirmations are often slow. Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti waited almost two years before being confirmed as US Ambassador to India. Like Su, he had the full support of the White House, but he struggled to win over certain senators.

Opposition to Su’s confirmation has been widespread and highly publicized, Hirono noted. The senator said she was surprised by the effort business groups have made to scare voters about a possible Su confirmation.

That’s something unique to me, Hirono said. A lot of money has come out and billboards have been put up in certain states to encourage those senators to think twice before voting for her.

When asked if that tactic works, Hirono hesitated. Let’s just say we weren’t there yet, she said.

Danielle Cendejas, a Democratic strategist, said the battle over Sus’ nomination has drawn a qualified candidate into a weary political tussle between business and labor interests.

You have a person who is highly qualified, probably more than qualified, to take this job caught in a battle that we see playing out at every political level, Cendejas said. You have business versus labor.

Su was not involved in drafting AB 5, and her supporters have repeatedly stressed that the California legislature drafted the bill. But according to Tim Lineberger, a former adviser to Alex Acosta, who served as Secretary of Labor under then-President Trump, Su will always be attached to the legislation because she enforced it. The reports around AB 5 do not prevent her confirmation, he said.

It really doesn’t matter how you message them if they’re concerned about where she stands on the policy. … She can try to explain it however she wants, Lineberger said.

Others say the choice to tie Su to AB 5 is part of a larger Republican strategy to paint California politicians as symbols of California.

This is California’s latest example being used against someone who is more than qualified for the job, Cendejas said. I do think this is a habit of theirs. It doesn’t matter which Californian it is, they find a way to use that against people.

Schumer and his team are responsible for deciding when Su’s confirmation will be put to a vote. He hasn’t planned one. Larry Huynh, a political strategist whose firm works closely with Schumer, said the delay is not unusual for a Senate so narrowly split down the middle.

In this case, Huynh and Wong argued, the Republican opposition to Su might come back to bite them. Hunyh noted that the Asian American and Pacific Islander community is an important voter bloc that Washington often overlooks.

Any party should think twice about playing politics over a candidate so qualified for the position who is also AAPI, he said.