Manchin courtship: WVa senator joins Jill Biden at clinic

The White House’s courtship of Joe Manchin has followed the U.S. senator to his home state of West Virginia

CHARLESTON, W.Va. -- The White House's courtship of U.S. Sen. Joe Manchin continued Thursday as the moderate Democrat joined first lady Jill Biden on a visit to West Virginia, days after he met with President Joe Biden. Manchin, with newfound clout in a Democratic Senate majority, is considered a crucial vote on the president’s families and jobs proposals. That includes massive infrastructure investment, as well as Democrats’ sweeping election and voter-access legislation. Manchin said his Monday meeting with the president at the White House on the infrastructure proposal was productive, but he has expressed concerns about the $2.3 trillion price tag. “The president and I had a very, very good meeting,” Manchin said Thursday. “We’re going to find a bipartisan pathway forward. We have to.”