A new record has been set in the Senate, as New Jersey Senator Corey Booker broke the record for the longest speech given in the Senate. He would begin his speech around 7 pm Monday and wouldn’t finish his speech until 8 pm Tuesday night, speaking for 25 hours and 5 minutes. This speech would surpass the previous record held by Strom Thurman’s speech against the Civil Rights Act in 1957 and would last for 24 hours and 18 minutes.
Booker’s speech would begin his speech in a very symbolic way as Booker would take the floor and state in his speech, “I rise with the intention of getting in some good trouble.” He would add on to this by also saying he was going to “disrupt the normal business of the United States Senate for as long he was physically able.” He would prove this statement by not sitting, eating, or using the bathroom for the entire 25-hour speech.
Booker would also speak against the Trump administration and the policies they passed. He would go on to say, “In just 71 days, the president has inflicted harm after harm on Americans’ safety, financial stability, the foundations of our democracy, and any sense of common decency.” He would also read letters from constituents who have been harmed by the Trump administration’s policies and condemn the administration on things like mass firings, trade wars, deportations, and threats to Medicaid.
With the aid of his fellow Senate Democrats and staff members, he was able to achieve this record. His staff members worked hard to fill 15 binders with enough material to cover his speech (New York Times) while also having his fellow Democrats ask him questions and help relieve him of speaking during his speech.
As Booker got closer to the record, he would thank Senator Chris Murphy, who stood with him nearly his entire speech. Booker would go on to say, “You stood, and I stood with you” and would also say, “And he said to me days ago, ‘If you’re going to do this, brother, I will be your aide-de-camp this time.’” Murphy would respond to these statements by saying, “What you have done here today, Senator Booker couldn’t be more different than what occurred on this floor in 1957.” Murphy would also mention the previous record tied to when Thurmond was fighting against civil rights by going on to say, “Why this nation should continue to segregate Black and White.”
Booker’s speech is iconic and historic in many ways, first being the view of how divided democrats and republicans are in the United States and the divide the two parties have right now, and second the record being held by Thrumond, A segregationist who was trying to fight against the passing of civil rights in legislation, and now the record is held by an African American just shows how much the country has changed and how it continues to change.
