Sen. Ben Sasse (R-NE) is expected to resign as early as December in order to pursue a position in higher education, the Washington Examiner has confirmed.
Sasse, 50, is in discussions with the University of Florida to become its next president. He was first elected to the Senate in 2014 and formerly served as president of Midland University in Nebraska. The Nebraska governor is expected to tap a replacement to complete Sasse’s term.
The Republican senator, a staunch conservative, was one of the most vocal critics of former President Donald Trump, having been one of seven Republicans in the upper chamber to vote in favor of conviction in his impeachment trial following the Jan. 6 attack on the Capitol.
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KFAB talk show host Ian Swanson, a former Sasse staffer, indicated the senator’s plans during his show on Thursday. The senator also confirmed his interest in the position in a statement shortly after the news broke.
“The University of Florida is uniquely positioned to lead this country through an era of disruption. The single biggest challenge our nation faces is the radical disruption of work. Technology is changing everything about where, when, why, what, and how Americans work — and so it’s changing our homes, neighborhoods, and communities too,” the Nebraska Republican said in a statement. “Melissa and I have been pursued by wonderful institutions the past two years, but we’ve resisted being named a finalist. This time is different because the University of Florida is very different: I think Florida is the most interesting university in America right now.”
“UF is the most important institution in the nation’s most economically dynamic state. Washington partisanship isn’t going to solve these workforce challenges — new institutions and entrepreneurial communities are going to have to spearhead this work. If UF wants to go big, I’m excited about the wide range of opportunities. I’m delighted to be in conversation with the leadership of this special community about how we might together build a vision for UF to be the nation’s most-dynamic, bold, future-oriented university,” he continued.
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The University of Florida announced that its presidential search committee “unanimously recommended” Sasse as “the sole finalist for consideration by its Board of Trustees” on Thursday afternoon.
The timing of Sasse’s resignation could have a strong impact on who is tapped for the role. Should he resign in December, Gov. Pete Ricketts (R) will be tasked with appointing Sasse’s successor. If Sasse resigns in January, the new governor, who is likely to be Republican Jim Pillen, will choose the appointee, possibly allowing Ricketts to be chosen to serve in the upper chamber.
“I appreciate Senator Sasse‘s service to our state and nation. He would make an excellent president for the University of Florida,” Ricketts said in a statement to Fox News Digital. “He has one of the most conservative voting records in the Senate, and we need more conservative voices in our universities.”
