You’ve probably seen the movies. Jimmy Stewart standing in a dimly lit Senate chamber, voice cracking, hair a mess, leaning on a mahogany desk while he fights for a boys' camp. It’s the ultimate underdog story. But in the real world, the longest filibusters in senate history aren't usually about save-the-day heroics. They are grueling, weird, and sometimes deeply controversial marathons of physical endurance.
Honestly, a filibuster is basically a pirate move. The word itself comes from a Dutch term for "freebooter" or "pirate." In the Senate, it’s a tactic used to delay or entirely block a vote by speaking for as long as humanly possible.
Since there is no rule that says a Senator has to stop talking, they just... don't. They talk about the bill. They talk about their grandmother's recipes. They read the phone book. If they don't sit down and don't leave the floor, the Senate can’t move on. It’s a high-stakes game of "who has the strongest bladder."
The All-Time Record: Strom Thurmond’s 24-Hour Marathon
When people talk about the absolute longest solo run, one name always comes up: Strom Thurmond. In 1957, the South Carolina Senator decided he was going to single-handedly stop the Civil Rights Act.
He spoke for 24 hours and 18 minutes.
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Think about that for a second. That is a full day and then some. To prepare, he actually spent time in a steam room to dehydrate himself so his body would soak up liquids and he wouldn't have to use the bathroom. It’s gross, but it’s the kind of dedication these guys have.
Thurmond read everything. He read the election laws of all 48 states (Alaska and Hawaii weren't states yet). He read the Declaration of Independence. He even read George Washington’s Farewell Address.
He only took one break. About three hours in, another Senator asked him a question, which allowed him to slip away to the bathroom for a few minutes while the other guy talked. But other than that? He stood. He talked. He stayed.
Did it work? Not really. The Senate passed the bill anyway just two hours after he finally sat down. But he kept his name in the record books for decades.
The "Wayne Morse" Record and the Tidelands Oil Fight
Before Thurmond, the title belonged to "The Tiger of the Senate," Wayne Morse of Oregon. In 1953, Morse went on a tear for 22 hours and 26 minutes.
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His beef was with the Submerged Lands Act, which was basically a fight over who owned the oil under the ocean near the coast—the states or the federal government.
Morse was a character. He didn't do the steam room thing. Instead, he survived on two cups of bouillon, some orange juice, a few crackers, and a piece of a chocolate bar. He talked about everything from horseback riding to the literal definition of "baloney."
Why Ted Cruz’s 21-Hour Speech Wasn’t Technically a Filibuster
You probably remember 2013. Ted Cruz took to the floor to rail against the Affordable Care Act (Obamacare). He was there for 21 hours and 19 minutes.
He famously read Green Eggs and Ham to his kids through the TV cameras. It was a huge media moment.
But here’s the thing: it wasn't a real filibuster. Under Senate rules, a real filibuster is designed to delay a vote. Cruz’s speech happened during a time when a vote was already scheduled, and his talking didn't actually change when that vote would happen. It was a "protest speech."
Still, standing for 21 hours is no joke. He wore black sneakers instead of dress shoes to survive the ordeal. It goes to show that in modern politics, the visual of a filibuster is often more important than the actual procedure.
The Weird Ones: Singing and Potlikker
Some of these marathons get truly bizarre. Take Huey Long in 1935. He spoke for 15 hours and 30 minutes.
Huey didn't just talk politics. He gave detailed recipes for "potlikker" (the liquid left over after boiling greens) and fried oysters. He figured if he was going to be there all night, he might as well teach the gallery how to cook.
Then there’s Alfonse D’Amato. In 1992, he filibustered for 15 hours and 14 minutes to save a typewriter factory in New York. At one point, to keep the clock running, he actually started singing "The Sidewalks of New York."
It’s sort of surreal to think about the most powerful legislative body in the world being held hostage by a man singing show tunes, but that’s the Senate for you.
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How the Rules Have Changed (The "Silent" Filibuster)
Kinda makes you wonder why we don't see these 24-hour marathons every week, right? Well, the rules changed.
In the "old days," you actually had to stand there and talk. If you stopped, the filibuster was over. This was the "talking filibuster."
In 1970, the Senate switched to a "two-track" system. Basically, if a Senator threatens to filibuster, the Senate just moves the bill to a different "track" and does other business instead. You don't have to talk anymore. You just have to say, "I intend to filibuster," and if the other side doesn't have 60 votes (cloture) to stop you, the bill just dies.
This is why people call the 60-vote mark the "new majority."
It’s also why modern "talking" filibusters, like Chris Murphy’s 15-hour run for gun control in 2016 or Bernie Sanders' 8-and-a-half-hour "The Speech" in 2010, are mostly about getting public attention. They aren't strictly necessary to stop a bill anymore, but they are great for the evening news.
Summary of the Longest Solo Runs
- Strom Thurmond (1957): 24 hours, 18 minutes. (Opposing Civil Rights)
- Alfonse D'Amato (1986): 23 hours, 30 minutes. (Military funding bill)
- Wayne Morse (1953): 22 hours, 26 minutes. (Tidelands oil)
- Ted Cruz (2013): 21 hours, 19 minutes. (Obamacare protest)
- Robert La Follette Sr. (1908): 18 hours, 23 minutes. (Currency bill)
What You Should Do Next
The filibuster is one of those things that people either love or hate depending on which party is in charge. If you want to see how these rules are actually affecting laws right now, you should:
- Check the Senate Calendar: Look at which bills are currently being held up by the 60-vote threshold.
- Watch C-SPAN: Sometimes, a Senator will still do a "talking filibuster" for symbolic reasons. It’s a great way to see the raw, unedited version of government.
- Read the Standing Rules of the Senate: Specifically Rule XXII. It’s dry, but it explains exactly how "cloture" works to end these marathons.
Understanding the filibuster is the key to understanding why so little seems to happen in Washington. Whether it's a senator reading Dr. Seuss or a 24-hour stand against history, it's a tool of power that isn't going away anytime soon.