The arduous 25 hour, 5 minute speech required days of physical preparation for the 55-year-old senator.
Late in the evening on April 1, Sen. Cory Booker (D-N.J.) yielded the Senate floor after a marathon speaking session that had begun more than 24 hours earlier, his speech shattering the record previously held by Sen. Strom Thurmond since 1957.
Rising at around 7 p.m. ET on March 31, Booker spoke through the night and into the next day, yielding the floor at 8:05 p.m., with his time on the floor clocking in at a total of 25 hours and 5 minutes. By that point, Booker, eyes wide and bloodshot, was visibly rocking back and forth on his tennis shoes, occasionally pacing around his desk.
As he broke the record at around 7:19 p.m., he received applause from both Senate and House Democrats in the chamber.
In his speech, Booker primarily targeted President Donald Trump’s use of executive authority, without challenging any singular piece of legislation.
The record-long speech served as a morale boost for Democrats, who, until now, have been reeling to articulate effective opposition after Trump’s sweeping 2024 win.
Thurmond’s record-breaking speech against the Civil Rights Act of 1957—a comparably weak precursor to the broader 1964 legislation—went for 24 hours and 18 minutes and came after weeks of preparation. It’s been unbroken until now.
Booker acknowledged this record in comments to reporters.
“I was very aware of Strom Thurmond’s record since I’ve gotten to the Senate,” he said. “It just seemed wrong to me. Always seemed wrong.”
Here’s how Booker made his way over the finish line to break one of the Senate’s most awkward records.
Rules of the ‘Standing Filibuster’
Once a Senate tradition best known for its representation in the classic 1939 film “Mr. Smith Goes to Washington,” the “standing filibuster” allows lawmakers to halt Senate business by continuing to speak without sitting or yielding.
Under the rules of the Senate, any senator is generally entitled to speak for as much time as they choose—a reflection of the equality between members observed in the upper chamber.
When a senator exercises this prerogative by retaining the floor, it’s known as a standing filibuster—which can only be ended by the votes of 60 members or by the speaker yielding.
In accordance with standing filibuster rules, Booker could not sit down or leave the chamber, even to use the restroom.
By Joseph Lord and Jackson Richman
