WASHINGTON — The Democratic-controlled Senate is on a path toward defeating tea party attempts to dismantle President Barack Obama’s health care law, despite an overnight talkathon on the chamber’s floor led by Texas Sen. Ted Cruz.

The freshman Cruz and other conservative Republicans were trying to delay a must-pass spending bill, but were virtually sure to lose a test vote on that legislation planned for later Wednesday.

Since Tuesday afternoon, Cruz — with occasional remarks by Sen. Mike Lee, R-Utah, and other GOP conservatives — has controlled the Senate floor and railed against Obamacare. At 10:41 a.m. EDT Wednesday, Cruz and his allies reached the 20-hour mark, the fourth-longest Senate speech since precise record-keeping began in 1900.

That surpassed March’s 12-hour, 52-minute speech by Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky., like Cruz a tea party lawmaker and potential 2016 presidential contender, and filibusters by such Senate icons as Huey Long of Louisiana and Robert Byrd of West Virginia.

Paul, who has questioned Cruz’s tactics, gave the admittedly tired Texan a respite Wednesday morning by joining the debate and criticizing Obamacare. But in a reflection of the limited GOP support for Cruz’ effort, no members of the Senate leadership came to the Texan’s aid. Cruz did, however, get help through the wee hours of the morning from Lee.

Republican leaders and several rank-and-file GOP lawmakers had opposed Cruz’s time-consuming effort with the end of the fiscal year looming. They fear that Speaker John Boehner and House Republicans won’t have enough time to respond to the Senate’s eventual action.

With no food or restroom breaks, his tie finally loosened, Cruz kept pushing on to a predetermined adjournment of the Senate at noon. Cruz was helped by eight of his conservative allies who gave him brief respites by asking lengthy questions as permitted under Senate rules, though he was required to remain on his feet.

Cruz said he has learned that defying party leaders is “survivable,” adding, “Ultimately, it is liberating” and that his long evening involved “sometimes some pain, sometimes fatigue.”

But he added, “You know what? There’s far more pain in rolling over. … Far more pain in not standing up for principle.”

Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., downplayed the significance of Cruz’s speech after arriving at the Capitol Wednesday morning.

“He raised some money with the tea party folks,” Reid said. “That’s what it’s all about.”

The House-passed measure is required to prevent a government shutdown after midnight Monday and contains a tea party-backed provision to “defund” implementation of what’s come to be known as “Obamacare”. Cruz is opposed to moving ahead on it under debate terms choreographed by Democrats to defeat the Obamacare provision.