Former President Bill Clinton and his wife Hillary Clinton, talk to Secretary of State-designate Rex Tillerson on Capitol Hill in Washington during the inaugural luncheon. Photo / AP Former ExxonMobil chief executive Rex Tillerson’s bid to be the next secretary of state received a major boost when a pair of Republican senators who had expressed consternation about him announced they will vote to confirm him, a move that effectively clears the way for him to win confirmation.