Ben Sasse

Ben Sasse
Born	Benjamin Eric Sasse 22 2, 1972
Birthplace	Plainview, Nebraska, U.S.
Nationality	American
Occupation	Politician, academic administrator, author
Known for	U.S. Senator from Nebraska (2015–2023), President of the University of Florida (2023–2024)
Education	Yale University (Ph.D.) St. John's College (M.A.) Harvard University (A.B.)
Children	3

Benjamin Eric Sasse (born February 22, 1972) is an American politician, academic administrator, and author who represented Nebraska in the United States Senate from 2015 to 2023 as a member of the Republican Party. Before entering electoral politics, Sasse built a career that spanned academia and federal government service, holding positions at the University of Texas at Austin, in the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services during the George W. Bush administration, and as president of Midland University in Fremont, Nebraska. He resigned from the Senate in January 2023 to become the 13th president of the University of Florida, a position he held until July 2024, when he stepped down citing his wife's health issues. In December 2025, Sasse publicly disclosed that he had been diagnosed with stage IV pancreatic cancer. A vocal critic of Donald Trump within the Republican Party, Sasse was one of seven Republican senators who voted to convict Trump of incitement of insurrection during his second impeachment trial in 2021. His career has been defined by intersections of conservative intellectual thought, higher education reform, and public service.

Early Life

Benjamin Eric Sasse was born on February 22, 1972, in Plainview, Nebraska, a small community in the northeastern part of the state. He grew up in a rural Nebraska environment, an upbringing that would later feature prominently in his political identity and public rhetoric about small-town American life and values. Sasse has frequently spoken about the influence of his family, community, and faith on his development. He is a devout Christian, a dimension of his personal identity that has remained central throughout his career in government, academia, and public life.

Plainview, situated in Pierce County, Nebraska, had a population of roughly 1,300 residents during Sasse's youth. The community's agricultural economy and tight-knit social fabric shaped his worldview, and Sasse has returned to themes of community obligation, neighborliness, and the challenges facing small towns throughout his public career. His Nebraska roots also served as a political asset during his Senate campaigns, grounding his candidacy in the state's traditions of pragmatic conservatism.

Education

Sasse pursued an extensive academic education across three prestigious institutions. He earned his undergraduate degree from Harvard University, where he studied as an undergraduate. He subsequently obtained a Master of Arts degree from St. John's College in Annapolis, Maryland, an institution known for its Great Books curriculum and focus on classical liberal arts education.

Sasse went on to earn a Ph.D. in history from Yale University. His doctoral dissertation, completed in 2004, was titled "The Anti-Madalyn Majority: Secular Left, Religious Right, and the Rise of Reagan's America," and was supervised by historians Jon Butler and Harry Stout. The dissertation examined the cultural and political dynamics that contributed to the rise of the Religious Right and the Reagan era in American politics, themes that would continue to animate Sasse's intellectual and political interests. His academic training in American political and cultural history provided a scholarly foundation that distinguished him from many of his Senate colleagues.

Career

Academic and Government Service

Following the completion of his doctoral work, Sasse joined the faculty of the Lyndon B. Johnson School of Public Affairs at the University of Texas at Austin, where he worked in academic and policy research roles. His work at the university focused on areas related to governance and public policy, combining his historical training with contemporary policy analysis.

Sasse transitioned from academia to federal government service during the administration of President George W. Bush. On December 19, 2007, he was appointed as the Assistant Secretary for Planning and Evaluation at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. In this role, Sasse was responsible for policy analysis and research coordination within one of the largest departments of the federal government. He served in the position until the end of the Bush administration on January 20, 2009. His tenure at HHS provided him with direct experience in healthcare policy, a subject that would become central to his later political career, particularly in the context of debates over the Affordable Care Act.

During and after his government service, Sasse was an outspoken critic of healthcare reform efforts under the Obama administration. He wrote and spoke publicly about what he viewed as the dangers of expanding government involvement in healthcare, framing the debate in broader terms about the relationship between citizens and the state.

President of Midland University

On December 10, 2010, Sasse became the 15th president of Midland University, a private Lutheran liberal arts institution in Fremont, Nebraska. At the time of his appointment, Midland was facing significant financial and enrollment challenges. Sasse undertook a restructuring effort aimed at stabilizing the institution's finances and increasing its enrollment and academic profile. His work at Midland drew attention in Nebraska and in higher education circles, and he served as president until December 31, 2014, when he departed to take his seat in the United States Senate. He was succeeded by Jody Horner.

Sasse's tenure at Midland provided him with executive leadership experience and a platform from which to articulate his views on higher education reform, the economics of small colleges, and the role of liberal arts education in American life—themes he continued to discuss as a senator and author.

U.S. Senate

2014 Election

In October 2013, Sasse announced his candidacy for the United States Senate seat being vacated by retiring Republican senator Mike Johanns. Running as a conservative opponent of the Affordable Care Act, Sasse framed his campaign around opposition to what he termed "the Obamacare worldview," a phrase meant to encompass not only the healthcare law itself but what he characterized as a broader expansion of federal authority.

The Republican primary was competitive, and Sasse secured endorsements from prominent national conservative figures and organizations. He won the Republican primary decisively.

In the general election on November 4, 2014, Sasse defeated Democratic nominee David Domina by a wide margin, receiving 64.4% of the vote to Domina's 31.5%. His commanding victory reflected both the Republican lean of Nebraska's electorate and Sasse's appeal as a candidate with academic credentials and government experience.

Senate Tenure

Sasse took office on January 3, 2015, succeeding Mike Johanns. During his time in the Senate, he served on several committees and engaged in policy debates on healthcare, national security, and technology regulation. He also participated in bipartisan legislative efforts, including supporting legislation to address the opioid crisis in the United States.

Sasse became one of the most prominent Republican critics of Donald Trump, beginning during the 2016 presidential campaign. In March 2016, he published an open letter on Facebook articulating his concerns about Trump's candidacy and its implications for the Republican Party and American conservatism. He subsequently elaborated on his criticisms in media appearances and public statements, arguing that Trump's approach to politics represented a departure from conservative principles.

Sasse's opposition to Trump continued throughout the Trump presidency and extended to one of the most consequential votes of his Senate career. In February 2021, following the January 6, 2021 attack on the U.S. Capitol, Sasse was one of seven Republican senators who voted to convict Trump of incitement of insurrection during Trump's second impeachment trial. This vote placed Sasse among a small minority within his party and drew both praise from those who viewed it as an act of principle and criticism from Republican voters and officials in Nebraska who supported Trump.

Sasse was re-elected to the Senate in 2020, securing a second term representing Nebraska. However, he would not complete his second term.

Resignation

On January 8, 2023, Sasse resigned from the United States Senate to assume the presidency of the University of Florida. He was succeeded by Pete Ricketts, the former governor of Nebraska, who was appointed to fill the vacancy.

President of the University of Florida

Sasse became the 13th president of the University of Florida on February 6, 2023, succeeding Kent Fuchs. His selection for the role had generated both support and controversy. Supporters pointed to his experience leading Midland University and his record in public service, while critics raised concerns about the selection process and questioned the fit of a political figure leading a major public research university.

During his tenure, Sasse sought to advance the university's national standing and articulated goals related to academic excellence and institutional competitiveness. However, his presidency was cut short. On July 18, 2024, Sasse announced his resignation from the position, effective July 31, 2024, citing his wife's health issues as the primary reason for his departure. Kent Fuchs returned to serve as acting president following Sasse's departure.

Sasse's presidency of the University of Florida lasted approximately 18 months, making it one of the shorter tenures in the university's history.

Personal Life

Sasse and his wife have three children. The family has resided in Nebraska and, during Sasse's time as University of Florida president, in Gainesville, Florida. Sasse has described his Christian faith as central to his identity and has spoken publicly about the role of faith in his personal and professional life throughout his career.

In December 2025, Sasse announced publicly that he had been diagnosed with stage IV pancreatic cancer. The diagnosis, which Sasse described as terminal, prompted an outpouring of public attention and reflection on his career and legacy. In February 2026, shortly after turning 54, Sasse gave a series of candid public interviews discussing his diagnosis, his faith, his reflections on mortality, and his hopes for whatever time he had remaining. In an extended interview with the Hoover Institution, Sasse discussed what he described as "basketball in the last 60 seconds"—a metaphor for living with urgency and purpose in the face of a terminal diagnosis.

Sasse has stated that he wishes to be buried in Nebraska.

Recognition

Sasse's career drew attention across political, academic, and media spheres. His outspoken criticism of Donald Trump within the Republican Party distinguished him as one of a small number of Republican officeholders willing to publicly oppose the party's standard-bearer, a stance that earned him both admirers and detractors. His vote to convict Trump in the second impeachment trial was among the most notable acts of his Senate career.

In the wake of his cancer diagnosis, commentators from multiple perspectives reflected on Sasse's career and its significance. Writing in Christianity Today in February 2026, a columnist described Sasse as representative of "a dying breed of politician," arguing that his departure from public life would mark one more sign that a particular strain of intellectually engaged conservatism was fading from American politics. The evangelical media outlet BreakPoint published a reflection on Sasse's career, noting his academic accomplishments, his Christian faith, and his decade of public service.

Sasse's candid public discussions of his terminal diagnosis also drew attention and appreciation. Religious commentator Denny Burk described Sasse's public testimony following his cancer announcement as deeply meaningful, writing that he could not "even begin to express" what Sasse's words had meant to him. The Christian Index similarly profiled Sasse's efforts to "redeem whatever time he has left," highlighting his reflections on meaning, service, and faith in the face of mortality.

Legacy

Sasse's career spanned sectors that rarely overlap in a single biography: rural Nebraska upbringing, Ivy League scholarship, federal policymaking, small-college administration, the United States Senate, and the leadership of a major public research university. His trajectory reflected an approach to public life rooted in intellectual engagement and institutional service, even as his career was marked by the political tensions and realignments of early 21st-century American conservatism.

As a senator, Sasse occupied a distinctive position. His opposition to Donald Trump within the Republican Party placed him among a small cohort of Republican officials who publicly dissented from the party's dominant political direction during the Trump era. His impeachment vote and his broader critiques positioned him as a figure of interest to those who sought an alternative model of Republican politics grounded in traditional conservative principles rather than populist appeal. At the same time, his positions generated significant opposition within his home state party, illustrating the growing tensions between establishment and populist factions of the Republican coalition.

Sasse's work in higher education—at Midland University and, more briefly, at the University of Florida—reflected his interest in institutional reform and his belief in the transformative role of education. His appointment to lead the University of Florida represented an unusual move from the political sphere to the leadership of a top-tier public university, and while his tenure was short, it highlighted ongoing debates about the intersection of politics and academic governance.

His public response to his terminal cancer diagnosis in late 2025 and early 2026 added a personal and spiritual dimension to his public legacy. Sasse's willingness to speak openly about mortality, faith, and purpose resonated with audiences across the political spectrum and prompted broader reflections on the nature of public service and the values that underpin it.