United States Senator Cory Booker, a democrat from New Jersey, showed a strong side of the American government. He broke a record by standing on the Senate floor for 25 hours with no breaks to sit down, use the bathroom, or speak to family. His stand on the Senate floor created a new standard for the American government. Sen. Booker addressed inequality in America and made sure the prime message from the U.S. Senate was to ensure justice for all people, no matter who they are or what they represent.
While some may call Sen. Booker’s speech a filibuster, it was not. Sen. Booker did not prolong a debate on a bill or any other matter to prevent a vote on a bill from being taken. If he did, then that would be considered a filibuster. In 1957, Senator Strom Thurmond spoke before the Senate for 24 hours and 18 minutes. His speech was a filibuster, speaking on the subject of civil rights in America. The civil rights movement was a very impactful time that deserves any and all kinds of acknowledgment. Booker’s speech served a similar purpose in acknowledging a national state of affairs. Sen. Booker broke Sen. Thurmond’s record by 48 minutes and marked a historic day in America. Sen. Booker’s speech holds significant political and symbolic weight for a broad range of reasons. This speech demonstrated a strong commitment to his urgency to make a change while also calling for collective actions from the American people. Sen. Booker said, “Stand up and speak up” against unjust and harmful policies. These strong words were just a small handful shared throughout his marathon of a speech.
Sen. Booker’s speech was recorded at exactly 25 hours and 5 minutes. This amount of time without breaks takes a lot of preparation. Sitting down would allow the presiding officer to continue to different senate business. Sen. Booker said he used “a lot of tactics,” including fasting and curbing water intake in the days before, to make sure he could stand for so long without having to take a bathroom break.
Sen. Booker noted to interviewers, stating, “I think that had good and bad benefits. I definitely started cramping up from the lack of water… In the end, I was just trying to do something to stop my muscles from cramping.” His commitment to his message wasn’t only shown through an impressive amount of material prepared but also the physical hardship he had to endure. Since this act was so moving to many, it was interesting to see what students thought of this matter. When asked if they think they could take on this challenge, they gave some interesting responses. Teagan Grubb, a tenth grader at Wilmington Friends School, says, “While I would like to think I would be able to do something like this, I don’t think I would, mainly because I don’t have enough courage to make a speech like this.” Also, Sky Hopkins, another tenth grader at Wilmington Friends School, says, “I do think I would be the type of person to speak for that long or commit to being involved with speaking on behalf of the people.” These two students both point out how hard a challenge this really was to take on. Sen. Booker’s motion brought attention to a confusing subject and left many wondering what the true significance really is.
Sen. Booker began his speech at 7 p.m. EDT on March 31, 2025, and concluded at 8:05 p.m. on April 1, 2025. An over 25-hour speech is one that will most likely never be broken for many years and never forgotten. This truly represents the determination one can hold when wanting to prove a point, like Sen. Booker did in front of the U.S. Senate.
