US Senator Cory Booker has set a new record for the longest speech in the Senate, after surpassing the previous record held by Republican Senator Strom Thurmond, who spoke for 24 hours and 18 minutes against the Civil Rights Act in 1957.
The Democratic senator from New Jersey delivered a lengthy address lasting 25 hours and four minutes. It served as a symbolic protest against President Donald Trump’s policies. In it, he cautioned about a “serious and urgent” moment in American history.
While it wasn’t a traditional filibuster aimed at blocking a bill’s passage, it did interrupt legislative activities in the Senate controlled by Republicans. The rules for these speeches require the speaker to remain on their feet and avoid bathroom breaks.
Booker said he intended to continue speaking for as long as he could physically manage, starting his address around 7 PM local time on Monday and finishing at 8:06 PM on Tuesday.
At 55, Booker is the fourth-highest-ranking Democrat in the chamber. To fill the extensive time, he read letters from constituents who claimed to have been affected by Trump’s policies.
The former presidential candidate filled the time by discussing sports, sharing poetry, and engaging with questions from his Senate colleagues.
Booker, an African-American, reflected on his heritage as a descendant of both slaves and slave owners. He was able to rest his jaw during the lengthy speech by taking questions from colleagues, including Senate minority leader Chuck Schumer from New York, Senator Dick Durbin from Illinois, and Senator Kirsten Gillibrand from New York.
The Democratic Party, now out of power in the White House, Senate, and House of Representatives, supported Booker’s symbolic protest.
Cory Booker’s speech also marks the longest in the Senate since Texas Senator Ted Cruz, a Republican, filibustered against Obamacare in 2013 for 21 hours.
