A Republican candidate for Senate has spoken continuously for more than 32 hours as a protest against Democratic proposals to end the filibuster in the upper chamber of Congress.
Bruce Fenton, who is running for Senate in New Hampshire, began his speech at 7:20 a.m. local time on Monday to take questions from supporters on topics ranging from “red flag” laws to government-owned land. Surrounded by bottles of energy drinks and cups of coffee, Fenton said his extended remarks were meant to show the “stamina and ability to perform this essential function” of a senator.
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“I have now been speaking for more than 24 hours in defense of my core values of freedom and liberty for all,” Fenton said in a statement. “I am willing to do the same when elected to the U.S. Senate, in support of Americans’ fundamental and constitutional rights. The filibuster must be saved, as it is a vital role of a U.S. senator.”
Fenton’s protest comes in response to comments from President Joe Biden last month that the Senate should change its rules to end the filibuster and pass a law codifying abortion rights after the Supreme Court reversed Roe v. Wade in June.
The New Hampshire candidate also criticized Biden and senators for being “incapable of, or unwilling to, speak on the record for 24 seconds” without the help of a teleprompter.
Fenton used his hourslong speech to highlight key priorities of his campaign, foreshadowing filibuster speeches he would make if elected to argue in favor of certain issues, such as Second Amendment rights.
“What I’m doing is a little extreme, but one thing that I’ve really liked in my campaign is an open and free flow of dialogue to be able to just talk to people, be off-script, and answer questions. A lot of politicians are afraid of that,” Fenton told Fox News. “They shouldn’t be the kitchen if they can’t stand the heat.”
Fenton will face off against other candidates in the Sept. 13 primary to clinch the GOP nomination for Senate in the state.
His 30-plus-hour speech certainly shows Fenton’s ability to speak long hours. The longest single-person filibuster speech was recorded in 1957, when Sen. Strom Thurmond (D-SC) spoke for 24 hours and 18 minutes in protest of the Civil Rights Act of 1957.
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To overcome a filibuster in the Senate, lawmakers must surpass a 60-vote threshold to advance legislation. Biden said in June he would back changing those rules to pass a bill codifying abortion rights through a simple majority. The Senate already went “nuclear” on the filibuster in the 2010s to allow a simple majority to end debate on nominations.
Liberal lawmakers have long called to end the filibuster because it would allow them to pass more liberal policy goals despite their slim majorities in Congress. Those calls were renewed in response to the ruling in Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization on June 24, which struck down the landmark Roe decision that legalized abortion nationwide.
