Ben Sasse
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Benjamin Eric Sasse ( SASS; born February 22, 1972) is an American politician and academic administrator. He represented Nebraska in the United States Senate from 2015 to 2023, resigning to become the 13th president of the University of Florida. He is a member of the Republican Party. Born in Plainview, Nebraska, Sasse studied at Harvard University, St. John's College, and Yale University. He taught at the University of Texas and served as an assistant secretary in the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services in the George W. Bush administration. In 2010, Sasse was named the 15th president of Midland University in Fremont, Nebraska. In 2014, Sasse ran for the U.S. Senate. He defeated Democratic nominee David Domina, 64.4% to 31.5%. Sasse was re-elected in 2020. He is a critic of Donald Trump and on February 13, 2021, he was one of seven Republican senators to vote to convict Trump of incitement of insurrection in his second impeachment trial. Sasse resigned from the U.S. Senate on January 8, 2023 to become president of the University of Florida. On July 18, 2024, he announced his resignation from the position effective July 31, 2024, citing his wife's health issues. In December 2025, Sasse announced that he had been diagnosed with terminal pancreatic cancer.