Kansas Gov. Sam Brownback, right, along with Lt. Gov. Jeff Colyer participates in a humanitarian award ceremony Thursday, March 9, 2017, at the statehouse in Topeka, Kan. (Thad Allton/Topeka Capital-Journal via AP)

Topeka ? UPDATE: Brownback announces plan to resign as Kansas governor next Wednesday

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Kansas Gov. Sam Brownback narrowly won confirmation Wednesday to be the next U.S. ambassador-at-large for International Religious Freedom in a vote that will bring his leadership in Kansas to an end as he prepares to hand over the governor’s office to Lt. Gov. Jeff Colyer.

The U.S. Senate voted to confirm him by a vote of 50-49, the same margin recorded earlier in the day to end debate on his nomination. In both cases, Vice President Mike Pence cast the tie-breaking vote.

President Donald Trump nominated Brownback to the post in July, but his nomination ran into opposition from Democrats, primarily over his record on religious tolerance domestically and his opposition to LGBT rights in particular.

Sen. Robert Menendez, D-N.J., spoke for the opposition on the floor of the Senate.

“Unfortunately, Mr. Brownback’s career has been defined by a lack of tolerance for those who do not share his own beliefs,” he said. “I fear he will focus solely on protecting Christian minorities, while we must publicly acknowledge that people of all faiths are persecuted and demand equal representation.”

photo by: Associated Press

Samuel Brownback, governor of Kansas and a former U.S. senator, appears before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee as the nominee to be the United States Ambassador-at-Large for International Religious Freedom, at the Capitol in Washington, Wednesday, Oct. 4, 2017. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)

Gay rights organizations in Kansas also opposed Brownback’s confirmation.

“What he has done with the whole notion of religious freedom in this state is that he has turned it into a weapon against LGBT people,” Thomas Witt, executive director of Equality Kansas, the state’s largest gay rights advocacy group, said in an interview. “And we certainly don’t want to wish him upon the world to weaponize it against LGBT people around the country and around the planet.”

But Republican Sen. Pat Roberts of Kansas rejected that notion in a statement he released moments after the vote.

“Sam Brownback has always been called to fight for those of all faiths,” he said. “I am glad he now has the opportunity to lead our nation’s efforts in promoting religious tolerance and fighting against religious (persecution) and discrimination. His personal and professional commitment to fighting for religious freedom will make him an excellent ambassador.”

Kansas’ other U.S. senator, Republican Jerry Moran, also applauded Brownback’s confirmation.

“Governor Brownback has long demonstrated his commitment to promoting the freedom of all to practice the religion of their choice,” Moran said in a news release. “He will now be in a position to continue this important work as our Ambassador-at-Large for Religious Freedom. The governor has been a dedicated public servant for many years and it was a privilege to support his nomination today.”

Brownback’s confirmation now sets up a process whereby Colyer will take over as governor. Although an exact date for the transfer has not been set, it could happen as early as next week.

Narrow as it was, word of Brownback’s confirmation came as good news to those on Colyer’s staff.

“I think we were delighted that the vice president cast the tie-breaking vote,” Colyer’s spokeswoman Kara Fullmer said in an interview. “We’re grateful for him to be on the governor’s side.”

The question of whether Brownback would still be the governor during the 2018 session — and if so, for how long — has been hanging over the Legislature for months. And some have said it has contributed to the slow start of the session, even though lawmakers are under a deadline from the Kansas Supreme Court to fix constitutional problems with the current school finance formula.

Kansas House Republican Leader Don Hineman, of Dighton, said now that Brownback has been confirmed, progress on that and other issues could start to move more quickly.

“In a way, it gives us a fresh start in the relationship between the legislative and executive branches,” he said. “I think we’re all excited about that possibility, and we’ll do whatever we can to work with incoming Governor Colyer.”