New Jersey Senator Cory Booker, made history on March 31, 2025 when he vowed to disrupt “the normal business of the United States Senate for as long as I am physically able.” His abilities took him 25 hours and 4 minutes, throught the night and into the next morning.
Senator Booker’s prominence in the Democratic Party comes from a lifetime of public service. At 55, Booker is a Washington, D.C native, who grew up in North Jersey. He has discussed the trials of growing up black in a predominantly white neighborhood and thus, his nuanced perspective of society. After playing college football at Stanford, and later attending Yale Law, Booker began his legal endeavors as an attorney for nonprofits, providing assistance to poorer families. Eventually he was elected to City Council and then Mayor of Newark, until 2013 when he reached the US Senate and he could implement federal change for the state of New Jersey, and the country as a whole. Booker was the first African-American to be elected to the Senate since Barack Obama in 2004. Last month, Booker broke records and urged his fellow democrats to do better.
He stood steadfast before Congress, without food, without sleep, without using the restroom for the entire time. The senator reflected on his experience, noting the physical toll it took, but celebrating the spiritual reward that it offered him. “The body is weary in a lot of places, from my back to my feet and to my legs, I’m just feeling it,” Booker told All Things Considered host Juana Summers. “But my soul is soaring and I feel very blessed by the whole experience.” This elation was well earned since Booker broke the record previously held by segregationist Sen. Strom Thurmond, who filibustered for 24 hours and 18 minutes to oppose the Civil Rights Act in 1957.
When it came to the plethora of topics that he touched on during his speech, he maintained an underlying focus: President Trump’s administration and its threats to democracy and social programs. He detailed his bitterness about the impact Trump has had over the past 71 days.
The first discussion during Booker’s lengthy filibuster focused on the administration’s attempts to cut Social Security and Medicare, both of which are aimed to aid lower income Americans. He leveled criticism against these efforts due to the overwhelming detrimental effects upon so many Americans who depend on these social programs.
Passionately, he continued to speak on the President’s wishes to eliminate the Department of Education. He shared testimonials from various teachers and students to express the importance of a solid federal education system.
The NJ Senator’s next topic to conquer was immigration laws. He dissected the administration’s approach to immigrant-related policy and the enforcement of their legislation. He claimed that their tactics put public safety into question and used the firsthand stories from numerous individuals to prove an infringement on constitutional rights.
At daybreak, Booker shifted the focus to US national security, with the senator describing Trump’s abandonment of different allies, and how this emboldened adversaries and depleted citizen’s safety.
Infrastructure and environment came next. The national housing crisis was the central idea of Booker’s criticism of the administration’s failure to address rising rent and home prices. More primary accounts were recited, painting plainly the struggles of families facing eviction and homelessness due to unaffordable housing. He spent some time talking about the recent decrease in clean air and water regulations due to the potential environmental and public health related threats that these newly relaxed measures could generate in the future.
When it comes to policy, Booker’s last point was about the agricultural scene in the US. He spoke regarding the administration’s failure to honor contracts with the USDA and how this inadequacy caused destabilization in programs that provide locally grown food to schools and food banks.
Senator Booker made sure to cement a rallying cry to both his fellow democratic politicians along with the entire American Democratic party. He built this call to action for his constituents by mentioning their ineffectiveness in preventing President Trump’s political actions. He prioritizes the need for the party to center its policies around the people, stating that failing to do so has been a significant mistake. ​Despite his actions being intangible, their significance rang in the ears of so many watching him. His disruption worked to get people to look up from their daily lives and witness his passion for mending our country’s political flaws. 
Miraculously, Senator Booker was not done after his marathon speech, he has sat for interviews with various publications since late March. Derived from his interest in immigration policy, Corey Booker plans to make a visit in the near future to El Salvador in order to support the return of Kilmar Ábrego García, a Maryland resident mistakenly deported during Trump’s presidency. When it comes to his long term potential as a politician, the 2028 Presidental Bid comes to mind. There has been some speculation on the possibility of this, since he is perceived as a major unifying member of the Democratic party.
His values and policy beliefs continue to influence the party’s direction and resonate with a broad base of supporters.​ As a prominent progressive voice within the Democratic Party, Booker made waves by leveraging his platform to advocate for a more actionable future filled with justice, equality, and democratic integrity.