Sen. Joe Manchin (D-WV) is feeling the heat to betray President Joe Biden and his Department of Health and Human Services nominee, Xavier Becerra, due to his open borders policies on immigration and abortion.
Manchin has said he “has not yet decided” whether to support Becerra. If Manchin defects to oppose his nomination and Senate Republicans vote in lockstep, Becerra will fall short of the 50 votes necessary for confirmation.
Conservative groups are fighting Becerra’s nomination, lobbying to win over Manchin, who has voted to defund Planned Parenthood in the past and campaigned as a pro-life Democrat in conservative West Virginia. Becerra, for his part, led a coalition of 21 attorneys general asking the Food and Drug Administration to increase access to reproductive telehealthcare during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Another group unveiled an advertising blitz aimed at blocking Becerra. Heritage Action for America announced a $600,000 push through digital advertisements and television advertisements focused in the Washington, D.C., area.
