Wait, I’m sorry I thought that was Jimmy Stewart’s record……
Sen. Cory Booker (D-N.J.) on Tuesday set a new record for the longest floor speech in Senate history, having held the floor for 25 hours and 5 minutes to decry potential GOP spending cuts in their looming tax bill and policies put in place by the Trump administration.
Booker, the No. 4 member of Democratic leadership, wrapped up at 8:05 p.m. Tuesday, having started at 7 p.m. the previous day — topping the previous record of 24 hours and 18 minutes held by former Sen. Strom Thurmond (S.C.).
As he neared that mark, Booker noted that there’s a room on the Senate side of the Capitol named after Thurmond, who set the original record filibustering against the Civil Rights Act of 1957.
“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,” Booker said. “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.”
Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) then proceeded to ask Booker if he knew that he had just set the new mark.
“Do you know you’ve just broken the record? Do you know how proud this caucus is of you? Do you know how proud America is of you?” Schumer asked.