Skip to content
RollCall logo

Podcasts

Joe Manchin: The man of the moment

Political Theater, Episode 224

A familiar sight: Reporters and photographers follow West Virginia Sen. Joe Manchin as he walks through the Capitol last week.
A familiar sight: Reporters and photographers follow West Virginia Sen. Joe Manchin as he walks through the Capitol last week. (Bill Clark/CQ Roll Call file photo)
By Jason Dick, Benjamin J. Hulac and Evan Campbell
Posted October 27, 2021 at 3:42pm

In an evenly divided Senate, every senator has the ability to be a kingmaker. But West Virginia Democrat Joe Manchin has taken it to the next level.

At a time when Democrats in the majority are assembling their Build Back Better legislation, Manchin has had a huge influence on one of the most consequential pieces of it: How to address climate change. And that has placed him at odds with his party.

On this episode of the Political Theater podcast, CQ Roll Call staff writer Benjamin J. Hulac details Manchin’s effect on the party’s policy package, while we revisit a recent conversation with Andrea Billups of West Virginia Public Broadcasting for more context on the Mountain State’s politics and culture.

Show Notes:

Recent Stories

Senate Majority Leader John Thune talks with reporters on Monday.

Major spending package planned for Senate floor faces doubts

A mid-decade redistricting effort in Indiana that could target Democratic Rep. Frank J. Mrvan has hit a roadblock in the state Senate.

Republican efforts to redraw Indiana’s congressional map stall again

Sen. Jeanne Shaheen, D-N.H., was among the Democrats who forged a deal to re-open the government.

In shutdown deal, bipartisan legislating trumped party unity

A chair with a “broken” sign sits in a hallway in the Dirksen Senate Office Building on Oct. 30. As the federal government emerges from a shutdown, members of Congress have some thoughts on lessons learned.

After a shutdown, no ‘A’s for effort

The Capitol dome is lit on Wednesday night as the House prepared to pass the funding bill to end the partial government shutdown. (Bill Clark/CQ Roll Call)

Photos of the week | November 7-13, 2025

A worker stocks Angus beef top-sirloin filets in the meat section of a grocery store in Washington.

US drops reciprocal tariff on Argentine beef, plans to boost quota