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Story highlights Paul's speech wasn't technically a filibuster because of intricate Senate rules Democratic Sen. Ron Wyden joined Paul in support

Paul, R-Kentucky, ran through several binders of material over the course of his marathon protest, and also got some help from 10 fellow senators -- three Republicans and seven Democrats.

Sens. Ron Wyden, D-Oregon, and Mike Lee, R-Utah, were the biggest boons to Paul's efforts, joining Paul on the Senate floor several times to give the Kentucky Republican a chance to catch his breath -- and often grab a sip of water and pop a candy in his mouth. And one of Paul's rivals for the Republican presidential nomination, Sen. Ted Cruz of Texas, also ended up helping Paul's efforts late in the night.

"There comes a time in the history of nations when fear and complacency allow power to accumulate and liberty and privacy to suffer. That time is now and I will not let the Patriot Act, the most unpatriotic of acts, go unchallenged," Paul said at the opening of his remarks, and those who joined him on the Senate floor shared his concerns and stressed the need to reform the Patriot Act.

The Senate is considering whether to reauthorize or reform a crucial section of that law that gives the government sweeping powers to collect phone metadata on millions of Americans in an effort to thwart terrorist plots. The House last week overwhelmingly approved a bill to reform that law.

The NSA's bulk collection program expires at midnight on June 1, and the Department of Justice warned in a memo shared by a GOP aide on Wednesday that the agency will have to begin preparing a week before the expiration date for a potential lapse in the law.

Paul's talk-a-thon Wednesday came more than two years after his nearly 13-hour filibuster in 2013, which was widely anticipated and brought him national attention for delaying the confirmation of CIA chief John Brennan to draw attention to U.S. drone policies.

But his speech Wednesday wasn't technically a filibuster because intricate Senate rules required him to stop talking by early Thursday afternoon for an unrelated vote.

Still, Paul's office insists it was a filibuster, saying Paul prevented lawmakers from taking action to reauthorize the Patriot Act while he had the floor.

READ: Boehner, McConnell split over NSA bill

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Rand Paul digs in on NSA surveillance - CNNPolitics.com

Sen. Rand Paul, R-Kentucky, wrapped up his so-called "filibuster" over the National Security Agency's controversial bulk collection of Americans' phone records just before midnight Thursday.

Paul's talk-a-thon on the Senate floor lasted exactly 10 and a half hours.

"My voice is rapidly leaving, my bedtime has long since passed," Paul said as he began to wrap up his speech. "The bulk collection must end, and I think we have the votes to do it now."

"Thank you for staying and not throwing things. We will try not to do this but every few years," he said. "I want to thank the American people for considering the arguments and hopefully for helping us push this towards a reform where we all respect the Fourth Amendment and the Bill of Rights all again. Thank you Mr. President, and I relinquish the floor."

Armed with binders full of material, Paul started his lengthy speech opposing the PATRIOT Act at 1:18 p.m. Wednesday.

There comes a time in the history of nations when fear and complacency allow power to accumulate and liberty and privacy to suffer. That time is now, and I will not let the PATRIOT Act, the most un-patriotic of acts, go unchallenged," Paul said as he started his speech on the Senate floor. "The bulk collection of all Americans' phone records all of the time is a direct violation of the Fourth Amendment.

"The people don't want the bulk collection of their records, and if we were listening, we would hear that," Paul said.

Provisions of the PATRIOT Act, including Section 215, which authorizes the NSA's controversial bulk collection of phone records, is set to expire on June 1. Paul, known for his libertarian leanings, has said he does not want the program to be reauthorized.

Over the course of his filibuster, Paul was joined by several of his Senate colleagues, most notably including Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, who is running against Paul in the 2016 presidential campaign.

Cruz, who partook in Pauls 2013 filibuster against drones and waged a filibuster of his own against Obamacare in 2013, compared the moment to the Blues Brothers

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Sen. Rand Paul Ends Filibuster Against NSA's Controversial ...

When it comes to celebrity political endorsements, Republicans usually have to settle for an aging movie star or two, maybe a country singer if they're lucky. Hollywood's politics are decidedly Democratic.

But in 2012, Ron Paul was the exception.

Paul was the Republican it was cool for (some) celebrities to like, earning praise -- though not necessarily an outright endorsement -- from public figures like Chuck Norris, John Mayer and Drew Carey.But without him in the race, who are his famous fans taking a liking to this time?

There are only a handful who've weighed in so far, andtheir responses are an unscientific, very small-sample-size poll of whoformer Paul supporters could go for in 2016. Are Paul supportersexcited at all byhis son, Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.)? Do they like Bernie Sanders -- the closest thing Democrats have to their own Ron Paul? Are they looking elsewhere?

[Will Rand Paul inherit the energy of Ron Paul's campaigns?]

In lieu of specific polls showing whoRon Paul supporters like in 2016, our Philip Bump in April compared favorability of the father and son and found Rand is seen more favorably than Ron was. ButPolitico found in March that some "die-hard idealists whose energy powered [Ron Paul's]campaigns" were disillusioned by Rand and defecting. Rand inheritspartof his father's base, it seems, but far from all of it.

And what celebrities are saying about 2016 bears that out as well.Here iswhat former Ron Paul fans have said about the 2016 race:

Kelly Clarkson

2012:Tweeted that she loves Ron Paul.

2016:Saidshe's considering Clinton."I'm a fan of Hillary. ... I don't just want a woman to win, I want the right person. And I think she's also that," she toldRolling Stone magazine.

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Ron Pauls celebrity fans arent flocking to Rand Paul ...

Its not clear whether his speech on the PATRIOT Act had any real effect on Mitch McConnells plans.

By Seung Min Kim and Alex Byers

5/20/15 2:01 PM EDT

Updated 5/21/15 10:04 AM EDT

Rand Paul relinquished the Senate floor late Wednesday night after 10-and-a-half hours of lambasting the government surveillance programs capitalizing on a sleepy day in the Senate to highlight his opposition to key parts of the PATRIOT Act that expire at the end of the month.

Wearing dark green sneakers in apparent preparation to go deep into the evening, Paul launched into a lengthy critique of surveillance a stance thats put him squarely against top Republicans and other GOP presidential contenders who advocate continuing the controversial bulk collection programs.

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There comes a time in the history of nations when fear and complacency allow power to accumulate and liberty and privacy to suffer, Paul said as he opened his remarks at 1:18 p.m. Wednesday. That time is now. And I will not let the PATRIOT Act the most unpatriotic of acts go unchallenged.

By carrying his talk-a-thon to the brink of Thursday, Paul prevented Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) from filing cloture on a bill to extend or reform the PATRIOT Act.

But its not clear that McConnell ever intended to so its uncertain whether Paul truly gummed up McConnells plan. And with the House set to depart Thursday, a Senate surveillance vote while House lawmakers are still in town was unlikely anyway.

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Rand Paul calls it a night after 10 1/2 hours - Seung Min ...

The GOP presidential candidate said in an interview with CNN's Alisyn Camerota that aired Tuesday on "New Day" that he will try to filibuster a reauthorization of Section 215 of the Patriot Act, which spawned the National Security Agency's collection of millions of Americans' phone records.

A handful of powerful Senate Republicans are pushing to reauthorize the Patriot Act without any reforms. Others in the Senate are pushing the USA Freedom Act, which would reform the Patriot Act's Section 215 and effectively end bulk data collection. The House quickly passed that bill last week.

But Paul and other privacy hawks want more reforms than those included in that bill, and Paul is calling for the end of that section of the Patriot Act, which is set to sunset at the end of the month.

RELATED: Rand Paul dings NSA for tracking 'innocent Americans'

"I'll do whatever it takes to stop it," said Paul, who was promoting his upcoming book "Taking a Stand: Moving Beyond Partisan Politics to Unite America".

Paul said he would formally filibuster the bill, requiring 60 votes for passage, and said he would also try to make it to the Senate floor in a bid to block passage by speaking extensively and preventing action on the bill.

"I will do a formal filibuster. Whether or not that means I can go to the floor, some of that depends on what happens because you're not always allowed," Paul said.

Paul previously stood for a nearly 13-hour filibuster to call attention to the U.S.'s drone strike policies.

He wouldn't say if he would launch a similar effort with the Patriot Act.

"Well, nobody can predict how long you can talk, but I plan on doing everything humanly possible to try to stop the Patriot Act," he said.

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Rand Paul: 'Whatever it takes to stop' Patriot Act ...