Senator Cory Booker, Democrat from New Jersey, broke one of the oldest and most incredible records in the institution's history on Tuesday by speaking for over 25 consecutive hours without sitting, reclining, or going to the bathroom. He was not attempting to stall legislation or delay a vote, a process known as filibustering in the U.S. for centuries. Instead, he aimed to draw attention and denounceDonald Trump's policies. And he succeeded.
Shortly after 7:25 p.m. Washington time, he surpassed the previous record of one day and 18 minutes, held since August 1959 by Senator Storm Thurmond, a major opponent of laws against segregation and in favor of civil rights. "Senator, I just wanted to tell you, do you know you just broke the record? Do you know how proud this caucus is? How proud the United States is of you?" Minority leader Chuck Schumer said to him amid applause and cheers from his colleagues.
"I am here despite his speech," Booker said about Thurmond, a key figure in the Senate and Southern politics for nearly 50 years, referring to all the influence the record holder had in delaying or blocking laws against racism and segregation. "Hating him is wrong, and maybe my ego became too obsessed with the idea that if I stood here, maybe, just maybe, I could break the record of the man who tried to hinder the rights I defend. But I am not here because of his speech. I am here despite his speech. I am here because, as powerful as he was, the people were more powerful," said the 55-year-old senator, who took the first steps towards running for the U.S. presidency in 2016 but withdrew soon after realizing he did not have enough support or resources.
The rules of the upper chamber allow a speaker to continue almost indefinitely, as long as their body and head hold up. The senator, one of the five African Americans in the chamber, explained that he had stopped eating on Friday and had become dehydrated in the days leading up to his speech, which partly helped but also caused cramps and muscle spasms as the hours passed.
There are rules to force the end of someone trying to delay votes, but in practice, it requires a majority of 60 senators, which rarely happens. A speaker can drink water, juice, or milk, can have a snack, but cannot sit, recline, or leave, even to go to the bathroom. This has led in the past to all kinds of scenes and legends, from hidden catheters to controversial screens.
The senator must speak non-stop, except if they receive and accept a question from their colleagues, which usually happens to give them a break. Or as seen at noon, for a prayer led by the Capitol chaplain. In theory, the topics they speak about should be related to the issue at hand, but in the past, all kinds of discussions have been seen. Booker criticized tariffs and economic management, the controversial invocation of the 1798 Alien Enemies Act to expedite deportations, and the use of Signal by administration officials to discuss military attack plans in Yemen. But he also had the opportunity to talk about baseball, basketball, or food.
A constitution and 1,000 pages of notes
Booker stood alone at the lectern with a U.S. Constitution, a notepad, a binder with 1,000 pages of material for his endless speech, and a surprisingly firm voice after 25 hours and five minutes, the first of which were in front of an almost empty room while the entire country slept. But that was precisely the message he wanted to convey: "standing up to Trump," literally and metaphorically. Just at a time when Democrats are lacking strong leaders, strength, strategy. Symbols.
Booker self-criticized on behalf of the party: "I confess that I have been imperfect. I confess that I have been inadequate at this moment. I confess that the Democratic Party has made terrible mistakes that have given this demagogue free rein. I confess that we all must look in the mirror and say, 'We will do better'." It's not just about stating what we oppose, but about reclaiming the dream, reclaiming things that excite people, that inspire. It's time for new leaders to emerge in the country, not congressmen and senators, but citizens," he urged.
But above all, he focused his speech on Trump and his administration, stating that "now is when the most cherished ideas of our country are put to the test, where questions arise: Where does the Constitution reside? On paper? Or in our hearts? This is the moment," he affirmed amid applause.
Throughout the 24 hours, Booker made constant comparisons between the present and key moments in the country's history, from the Civil War to the civil rights movement to the fight for women's suffrage. He even dedicated a full half-hour to reading the story of Canadian Jasmine Mooney, detailing her recent detention in the United States by immigration agents.
His record has been dismissed by the Republican side, who believe Booker is a weak politician desperately seeking attention for almost a decade and hoping to capitalize on this moment for a possible candidacy in 2028. He is not among the top favorites in the speculations, but it is by no means a remote possibility that he is seriously considered.
"Cory Booker is looking for another 'I am Spartacus' moment, but that did not work for his failed presidential campaign, nor to block President Trump's Supreme Court nominee, Brett M. Kavanaugh," said Harrison Fields, a White House spokesperson, referring to the famous scene in Stanley Kubrick's 1960 film.
"John Lewis and so many heroes before us would say that this is the time to raise your voice, to raise your voice," Booker said, quoting one of the titans of the civil rights movement. "This is the time to get into good trouble, to get into necessary trouble. I cannot allow this body to continue without doing something different, without raising my voice. Since I arrived in the Senate, I always felt that a strange shadow hung over this institution: the longest speech, all the problems that arose, all the noble causes that people pursued or the things they normally try to stop; it just seemed strange to me that it had that record," Booker told CNN. "And as someone who grew up with the legends of the Civil Rights Movement, myself, my parents, and their friends, it just seemed wrong to me. It always seemed wrong to me."