US Senator Cory Booker has set a new record for the longest speech ever given in the Senate.
The Democrat from New Jersey delivered an extensive address lasting 25 hours and four minutes as a symbolic protest against President Donald Trump, during which he cautioned about a “grave and urgent” moment in American history.
While it was not a filibuster – aimed at delaying a bill’s approval – it did impede legislative proceedings in the Republican-led Senate. The regulations for such speeches require the speaker to stay upright and forgo restroom breaks.
The previous record was established by Republican Senator Strom Thurmond, who spoke for 24 hours and 18 minutes in opposition to the Civil Rights Act in 1957.
Booker declared he would continue speaking for as long as he was physically capable, starting his address at approximately 7:00 PM local time on Monday and finishing at 8:06 PM on Tuesday.
At 55 years old, and as the fourth-ranking Democrat in the Senate, he utilized part of the time reading letters from constituents affected by President Trump’s policies.
The former presidential hopeful also filled the time by discussing sports, reciting poetry, and engaging in Q&A with his colleagues.
As an African-American, Booker spoke about his heritage as a descendant of both slaves and slave-owners.
“I’m here because, as influential as he was, the people hold more power,” he stated, referring to segregationist Thurmond’s record-setting speech from 68 years prior.
Amid reaching the milestone, Booker mentioned he was going to “address some of the biological urgencies I’m feeling.”
He managed to give his jaw a much-needed break during the speech by taking questions from fellow senators, including Senate minority leader Chuck Schumer of New York, Senator Dick Durbin of Illinois, and Senator Kirsten Gillibrand of New York.
The Democratic Party, which is currently without power in the White House, Senate, or House of Representatives, supported Booker’s symbolic protest.
Booker’s speech also became the longest in the Senate since a 21-hour filibuster by Texas Senator Ted Cruz, a Republican, against Obamacare in 2013.
Cruz mentioned to CBS, PBS’s US partner, that a filibuster is a demanding physical challenge.
For his own demonstration, he wore comfortable shoes and tried to minimize his water intake – a strategy he referred to as “nothing in, nothing out.”
