Sen. Cory Booker, a New Jersey Democrat who ran for president in 2020, delivered a record-breaking 25-hour speech that garnered the support of his fellow Democrats.
The speech was meant as a rebuke of President Donald Trump's policies and a rallying cry for Democrats feeling disillusioned by the current administration.
In order for Booker to hold the microphone for so long, he had to remain on the Senate floor for the entire duration. That meant no bathroom breaks or sitting down. Booker didn't talk the entire time; other Democrats could give Booker's voice a rest by asking him questions.
He was also briefly interrupted for the Senate's daily prayer, which took place about 17 hours into his speech.
After 25 hours on the Senate floor without leaving, Booker explained how he was able to remain at the lectern for so long.
“I really spent time dehydrating myself beforehand so I did not have to go to the bathroom," Booker said, adding he was not aided by a catheter. "My strategy? I think I stopped eating on Friday and then stopped drinking the night before I started on Monday. That had its benefits and its downsides.”
Booker said that dehydrating himself led to cramps, which he described as the "biggest thing" he was fighting during the 25-hour speech.
He also mentioned that he emptied his pockets so he wouldn't be weighed down.
The New Jersey senator noted that he was well aware of the previous record for the longest Senate speech, which was held by Sen. Strom Thurmond, who spoke against the Civil Rights Act in 1957.
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Booker acknowledged Thurmond's record during his speech: "I always thought it was a strange shadow that hung over this institution—that the longest speech, all the noble causes, I found it strange he had the record."
Booker had experience, as he and fellow Democratic Sen. Chris Murphy held the floor for 15 hours nine years ago. He said that during that session, he experienced back pain but learned from that experience.
