Robert F. Kennedy Jr., the vaccine skeptic and former presidential candidate who fled his family’s party and threw his “medical freedom” movement behind President Trump, has been confirmed by the Senate as the nation’s next health secretary. The vote 52-48, capped a remarkable rise for Mr. Kennedy and a curious twist in American politics. He was confirmed by a Republican Senate, without a single Democratic vote, in a chamber where his father, Robert F. Kennedy, and his uncles, John F. Kennedy and Edward M. Kennedy, all held office as Democrats. Senator Mitch McConnell of Kentucky, a polio survivor and the former Republican leader, voted no, the lone Republican to oppose Mr. Kennedy’s nomination.

President Donald Trump's nominee for U.S. Health Secretary, Robert F. Kennedy Jr., has secured enough votes from U.S. senators to be confirmed as the nation's top health official. Kennedy will lead the Department of Health and Human Services, which oversees several high-profile agencies including the Food and Drug Administration and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Robert F. Kennedy Jr. was confirmed by the Senate as President Trump’s secretary of Health and Human Services on Thursday, capping a contentious fight over his skepticism on vaccines that had divided Republicans. Senators voted 52-48 to place Kennedy, 71, atop the nation’s health bureaucracy with oversight of a budget of roughly $1.7 trillion. Sen. Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) opposed Kennedy’s confirmation, along with every Democrat. RFK Jr., a longtime environmental lawyer and vaccine skeptic had received assurances this week from Sens. Susan Collins (R-Maine) and Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska) that they would back him, easing the path to Trump’s cabinet.