Cory Booker's marathon speech: Can he break a South Carolina senator's historic record?

WASHINGTON, D.C. (WACH) — New Jersey Democratic Sen. Cory Booker continues to hold the Senate floor in a marathon speech, now stretching over 16 hours.

Booker began his speech Monday evening, which has extended well into Tuesday, with a strong critique of President Donald Trump's policies and proposed spending cuts.

The Senate briefly paused at 12 p.m. on Tuesday for a customary prayer, with Booker now extending his speech into a new legislative session.

The 55-year-old senator has paused only briefly to take questions from his Democratic colleagues, but he has vowed to remain on the floor for as long "as [he] is physically able."

During his speech, Booker emphasized his commitment to speaking out in order to remind his supporters that they are doing everything they can to resist Trump’s agenda.

These are not normal times in our nation," Booker said at the start of his speech.

And they should not be treated as such in the United States Senate. The threats to the American people and American democracy are grave and urgent, and we all must do more to stand against them.

Booker is speaking out against cuts to Social Security offices mandated by Elon Musk's Department of Government Efficiency.

As of this writing, Booker’s speech has entered the ranks of the longest in Senate history. But can he break the record set by Strom Thurmond in 1957?

Strom Thurmond’s Record-Breaking Senate Speech

Strom Thurmond, then a Democratic senator from South Carolina, still holds the record for the longest individual Senate speech, according to the Senate’s website.

In 1957, Thurmond filibustered for 24 hours and 18 minutes in an attempt to block the Civil Rights Act of 1957.

The Village Voicereported that Thurmond took daily steam baths to dehydrate his body so he wouldn’t need to leave the Senate floor.

Thurmond was one of South Carolina's longest-serving senators, holding the position for over 47 years. He also served as the state’s 103rd governor from 1947 to 1951.

A staunch supporter of racial segregation, Thurmond argued that he was advocating for states’ rights and opposing federal authority. In 1964, he switched from the Democratic to the Republican Party ahead of his failed presidential bid.

Booker Invokes Thurmond During Speech

As his marathon speech continued, Booker invoked Thurmond, pointing out that changing history requires active public involvement.

“You think we got civil rights one day because Strom Thurmond — after filibustering for 24 hours — you think we got civil rights because he came to the floor one day and said, ‘I’ve seen the light,’” Booker said. ”No, we got civil rights because people marched for it, sweat for it and John Lewis bled for it."

As of this writing, Booker holds the sixth-longest Senate speech in U.S. history, trailing behind Sen. Robert La Follette Sr., who spoke for 18 hours and 23 minutes in 1908 to oppose the Aldrich-Vreeland Act.

The Aldrich-Vreeland Act sought to establish a National Monetary Commission that would allow the U.S. Treasury to lend money to banks during financial crises.

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The Associated Press contributed to this report