Cory Booker’s 25-Hour Filibuster: A Beacon of Hope for the Democratic Party

Democratic New Jersey Senator Cory Booker took the Senate floor in a filibuster, non-filibuster, where he stood on the floor for twenty-five hours to protest the damage of the Trump-Musk Administration last week on April 2. On the floor, the Senator relayed messages from citizens across the globe, utilized his colleagues to give him breaks, and relayed the powerful messaging of the late John Lewis.

“Let’s get in some good trouble.”

Millions of people across the globe watched with eager eyes as Booker never relinquished his time until he had hit the twenty-five hour mark. And now, some are even saying that with Booker taking a stand, he has offered a new glimpse of hope to the Democratic party.

Hope for the Democrats:

It is not a secret that the Democrats are still reeling from their loss of the presidency, the Senate, and the House. Since the government has been under majority Republican control, it has made several detrimental decisions to the well-being of the American people as a whole. A significant number of anti-immigrant executive orders and LGBTQ-limiting legislation have left some Americans stripped of their rights and their identities. 

Senator Booker’s historic action restored the hope that perhaps some politicians are listening to their pleading constituents- the American people they serve. At the start of Trump’s second term, he has already driven droves of Americans to rally against his policies. 

Americans have been attending GOP-led town halls angry at the fact that their representatives have not been standing up for them. Constituents are angry that the specific federal funding and programs Congressionally designated to help the American people are being slashed at every single turn by DOGE. 

Senator Booker took the time in his 25-hour speech to read letters from American citizens and advocate for the American people who are struggling under this administration. The Senator acted as a much-needed voice for the misrepresented during his time on the Senate floor. 

Until now, it appeared Democrats’ only leaders openly speaking out against the Trump administration’s injustices were Congresswoman Jasmine Crockett and Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez. With Booker’s inspirational voice now helping to openly criticize the Trump administration’s bigotry and moral missteps, it seems as though the Democrats are regaining some of the hope they lost in November. 

Irony of the Record-Breaking Non-Filibuster:

Senator Booker made it clear that April 1st would not operate as a normal day in the Senate. The Trump administration has been operating out of pure hatred for certain people and greed for government funds meant to aid the American people- nothing about this is normal. Just as well, Booker’s non-filibuster went on for what one could call an abnormally long time. Still, there is a truly poetic, patriotic nature to Senator Booker standing on the floor for more than a full day.

The Senator broke the record for the longest filibuster, which was previously held by Senator Strom Thurmond. Thurmon spoke on the Senate floor to advocate against H.R. 6127, which is known as the Civil Rights Act of 1957. Thurmond spoke on the floor for 24 hours and 18 minutes, despite him not being able to convince a single senator to change their mind.

Sixty-eight years later, a Cory Booker, a  Black man Senator, would beat Thurmond, and he wasn’t protesting against a specific legislation. He was protesting against a current administration run with an authoritarian’s steel fist, and with the oligarchy’s fingers mired in American democracy. And while Booker has not been the first person to take on a historic stance and make history, he is certainly one who added poignant undertones.

Booker reminded us all that those who were strict opponents of Kamala Harris, Cory Booker, and Jasmine Crockett failed to keep them from advocating for the underrepresented in the political arena.

Morals vs Politics:

At the end of his speech, Cory Booker stated that this was no longer a system of politics but instead a system of what was wrong and what was right. This moral dichotomy is often overlooked in bipartisan politics. 

As of April, Trump has transformed the moral landscape of this country.

Morals were truly abandoned for the last time in politics once Americans voted for a reality TV star who mocked a disabled journalist, made sexual assault remarks that were chalked up as “locker room talk,” and repeatedly spewed misogynistic, racist, homophobic, xenophobic rhetoric. Then, they did it again. 

Margot Miller for The Guardian claims President Trump is no longer exercising civil service, the primary principle of which is putting others before one’s. 

Now Americans, especially republicans experiencing regret over voting for President Trump, and are truly understanding what it looks like when a criminal sits in the highest office in the land. Some are even finding powerful ways to openly express their disdain for Trump, forming new moral compasses as his policies worsen and his authoritarian grip tightens on the nation.

America is now a country where war plans are easily accessible via text in an unsecured group chat. How does this speak to the moral compass of American politics? Are politicians truly protecting citizens or protecting themselves?

America is now a country headed into recession because the President does not fully understand how tariffs work. America is now a country where American history is being rewritten to appease those who wish to erase the legacy of racism and claim it does not exist. The list goes on. 

So while Senator Booker’s latest stand against injustice will not be the “end all, be all,” it does catalyze a new, dynamic era for the Democratic party.