The Virginia Senate voted 21-17 Wednesday to abolish the death penalty, moving the state closer to a goal articulated by Gov. Ralph Northam and popular with broad swaths of the public — though not many Republicans.

Democratic Sen. Scott Surovell (D-Fairfax) sponsored the bill and said the death penalty was expensive, irreversible and fell unevenly on inmates of color.

“There’s a dwindling number of states that do this, a dwindling number of countries that do it, public opinion is now in support of abolishing capital punishment,” Surovell said. “I think it’s time that we stand with the majority of Virginians now and all Americans and move on from this.”

Virginia has used the death penalty for longer — and on more people — than any other state in the country. But in recent years its use has dwindled, and only two people remain on death row in the commonwealth. A recent poll showed that more than half of Virginians support abolishing the death penalty.

Opposition to abolition was higher among Republicans, though, and GOP senators said ending the death penalty would be an affront to the victims of violent crimes. “You must provide to society a sense of justice,” said Sen. Siobhan Dunnavant (R-Henrico).

The bill survived several Republican attempts to carve out an exception for people who murder police officers, according to the Richmond Times-Dispatch.

A separate House bill has yet to go before the full chamber for a vote.