Cory Booker's epic Senate speech puts Democrats back in the spotlight
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Sen. Cory Booker during a news conference in the U.S. Capitol on March 11. Photo: Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images
Sen. Cory Booker's (D-N.J.) record marathon speech on the Senate floor won the floundering Democratic Party something it has desperately needed in the Trump era: attention and the applause of its base.
The big picture: Top Democrats believe they are in their deepest hole in nearly 50 years after losing the White House, Senate and House, and the party's base has grown impatient with leaders who haven't countered President Trump more aggressively.
- Booker said his speech highlights the "recklessness" of the Trump administration, which has plowed ahead with efforts to radically reshape the federal government and its workforce.
By the numbers: As of 7:30pm Tuesday ET, his livestream had more than 76,000 views.
- AP's stream of the speech over 156,000 views, and another on X had more than 879,000.
- Since his speech began Monday night, Google searches for Booker spiked 1,000% — to more than half a million queries.
Between the lines: For a party that's been struggling with approval ratings and direction, Booker's more than 24-hour speech could be a turning point.
- After months of people begging Democratic leaders to step up against Trump's agenda, Booker's grand gesture — which appears to have support from a wide swath of Democrats — could impact public sentiment.
- Booker's stemwinder was the rare incidence of Democrats stealing the spotlight from Trump, who has commanded nearly every news cycle since returning to office.
Zoom in: "Senator Booker's marathon speech on the floor of Senate is intended to do two things," said Shana Gadarian, professor of political science at Syracuse University, in an emailed statement Tuesday.
- "First, bring attention to the threat that Booker and Democrats argue that Donald Trump poses to the health of American democracy and the welfare of the American public and two, be a rallying cry for other Democrats to act boldly with whatever means they have," Gadarian said.
- "Members of the minority party have fewer formal tools to enact their preferred policies but, in the Senate, they can stop action from happening, they can bring issues on to the agenda, and they can embolden other people in the party and in the public to articulate their values," Gadarian added.
- "Democrats across the country have been calling for more aggressive ways to counter the president and Elon Musk but also a more a clear articulation for what the party stands for. Booker is heeding that call."
Zoom out: Booker said in a social media video posted before he took the floor at 7pm ET Monday that he's heard calls from across the nation for lawmakers to "do more" to "recognize the urgency, the crisis of the moment."
- The former presidential candidate said "we all have a responsibility, I believe, to do something different, to cause, as John Lewis said, good trouble."
More from Axios...
- Watch: Cory Booker protests Trump in marathon floor speech
- Booker says surpassing segregationist's Senate speech record was "important"
- Booker sets record for longest Senate speech ever with anti-Trump marathon
Editor's note: This article has been updated with comment from Syracuse University Professor Shana Gadarian, with the latest viewing figures and to reflect Sen. Cory Booker's record.
