In what can only be described as an impressive feat of stamina, Senator Cory Booker of New Jersey spoke for a total of 25 hours and 4 minutes during a senate hearing, making it the longest speech in senate history and breaking the previous record.
For those unaware, the Senate doesn’t set a limit on how long a person can speak, as long as they can remain standing the whole time and speak continuously.
During last night’s Senate meeting, Booker delivered a speech in protest of the Trump administration that finally gave voice to a horrified, frustrated, and deeply outraged public. According to the senator’s staff, the speech filled 15 binders and covered criticism towards efforts to defund the Department of Education, the disappearences of pro-Palestine protestors from college campuses, and allowing Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency free reign over reshaping the federal government.
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For the next 25 hours, Booker remained standing with no breaks to eat or use the restroom and continued speaking.
Booker is no stranger to exercising feats of stamina and endurance in his political endeavors. It is reported he staged a 10-day hunger strike during 1998 while running for Municipal Council of Newark, in addition to living in a tent during that time to draw attention to urban development issues.
The record for the longest filibuster in Senate history was set in 1957 by South Carolina Senator Strom Thurmond, a man who opposed the civil rights movement so much that he made a 24-hour and 18-minute speech to prevent the Civil Rights Act of 1957 from being passed.
According to Senator Booker, it had bothered him that the previous record was held by the racist senator.
“To hate him is wrong, and maybe my ego got too caught up in if I stood here maybe, maybe—just maybe—I could break this record of the man who tried to stop the rights upon which I stand. […] I’m not here, though, because of his speech. I’m here despite his speech. I’m here because as powerful as he was, the people were more powerful.”
At the end of his speech at 8 P.M. EDT April 1st, he was met with a standing ovation.
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