Ben Sasse
Ben Sasse | |
|---|---|
Sasse in 2016 | |
| 13th President of the University of Florida | |
| In office February 6, 2023 – July 31, 2024 | |
| Preceded by | Kent Fuchs |
| Succeeded by | Kent Fuchs (acting) |
| United States Senator from Nebraska | |
| In office January 3, 2015 – January 8, 2023 | |
| Preceded by | Mike Johanns |
| Succeeded by | Pete Ricketts |
| 15th President of Midland University | |
| In office December 10, 2010 – December 31, 2014 | |
| Preceded by | Stephen Fritz |
| Succeeded by | Jody Horner |
| Assistant Secretary of Health and Human Services for Planning and Evaluation | |
| In office December 19, 2007 – January 20, 2009 | |
| President | George W. Bush |
| Preceded by | Michael O'Grady |
| Succeeded by | Sherry Glied |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Benjamin Eric Sasse February 22, 1972 Plainview, Nebraska, U.S. |
| Party | Republican |
| Spouse |
Melissa McLeod (m. 1995) |
| Children | 3 |
| Education | |
| Academic background | |
| Thesis | The Anti-Madalyn Majority: Secular Left, Religious Right, and the Rise of Reagan’s America (2004) |
| Doctoral advisor | Jon Butler Harry Stout |
| Academic work | |
| Discipline | Political science |
| Institutions | University of Texas, Austin Midland University |
Benjamin Eric Sasse ( /ˈsæs/ 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 president of the University of Florida. He is a member of the Republican Party. He is a critic of Donald Trump and was one of seven Republican senators to vote to convict Trump of incitement of insurrection in his second impeachment trial.
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.
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.