History of Ben Sasse in Timeline

Ben Sasse is an American politician and academic. He served as a Republican U.S. Senator for Nebraska from 2015 to 2023. Sasse resigned from the Senate to become the president of the University of Florida. He is known for his conservative views and has been a vocal critic of Donald Trump, notably voting to convict Trump during his second impeachment trial.

Sections (4)

Full Timeline Early Life & Education Career & Achievements Controversies & Scandals

February 22, 1972: Ben Sasse born

On February 22, 1972, Benjamin Eric Sasse was born. He is an American politician and academic administrator.

Others born on this day/year

1990: Graduated High School

In 1990, Ben Sasse graduated from Fremont Senior High School as valedictorian of his class.

1992: Studied at the University of Oxford

During the fall of 1992, Ben Sasse studied at the University of Oxford on a junior year abroad program.

September 1994: Worked at Boston Consulting Group

From September 1994, Ben Sasse worked as an associate consultant at the management consulting firm Boston Consulting Group.

1994: Graduated from Harvard College

In 1994, Ben Sasse graduated from Harvard College with a bachelor's degree in government.

November 1995: Left Boston Consulting Group

In November 1995, Ben Sasse left his position as an associate consultant at the management consulting firm Boston Consulting Group.

1998: Earned Master's Degree from St. John's College

In 1998, Ben Sasse earned a Master of Arts in liberal studies from the Graduate Institute at St. John's College.

2000: Selected as a Harvey Fellow

In 2000, The Mustard Seed Foundation selected Ben Sasse as a Harvey Fellow.

January 2004: Chief of Staff for Justice Department

From January 2004, Ben Sasse served as chief of staff for the Justice Department's Office of Legal Policy and as a part-time assistant professor at the University of Texas at Austin.

2004: Earned PhD from Yale University

In 2004, Ben Sasse earned a PhD in history from Yale University. His dissertation, "The Anti-Madalyn Majority: Secular Left, Religious Right, and the Rise of Reagan's America", won the Theron Rockwell Field and George Washington Egleston Prizes.

January 2005: Left Department of Justice

In January 2005, Ben Sasse left the Department of Justice to serve as chief of staff to Representative Jeff Fortenberry.

July 2005: Left Chief of Staff position

In July 2005, Ben Sasse left his position as chief of staff to Representative Jeff Fortenberry.

September 2005: Adviser to Homeland Security

From July to September 2005, Ben Sasse advised the United States Department of Homeland Security on national security issues as a consultant. He moved to Austin, Texas, to resume his professorship full-time from September 2005.

December 2006: Counselor to the Secretary

From December 2006, Ben Sasse served as counselor to the secretary at the United States Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) in Washington, D.C.

December 2006: Ended Professorship

In December 2006, Ben Sasse ended his professorship full-time at Austin, Texas.

July 2007: Nominated Assistant Secretary

In July 2007, President George W. Bush nominated Ben Sasse to the post of assistant secretary for planning and evaluation in the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.

December 2007: End of HHS counseling position

In December 2007, Ben Sasse's time as counselor to the secretary at the United States Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) in Washington, D.C. ended.

December 2007: Confirmed Assistant Secretary

In December 2007, the Senate confirmed Ben Sasse as assistant secretary for planning and evaluation in the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.

2007: Record set for individual donors

In October 2013, Ben Sasse's fundraising total of nearly $815,000 from individual donors in his first quarter broke Nebraska's previous record of $526,000 from individual donors, set in 2007 by Johanns.

January 2009: End of Bush Administration

In January 2009, Ben Sasse's time as assistant secretary for planning and evaluation ended with the end of the Bush administration.

October 2009: Joined LBJ School of Public Affairs

In October 2009, Ben Sasse officially joined the Lyndon B. Johnson School of Public Affairs Center for Politics and Governance as a fellow.

October 2009: Announced as President of Midland Lutheran College

In October 2009, Ben Sasse was announced as the 15th president of Midland Lutheran College.

2009: Authored Health-Care Reform article

In 2009, Ben Sasse authored a Bloomberg Businessweek article titled "Health-Care Reform: The Rush to Pass a Bad Bill".

December 10, 2010: Installed as President of Midland Lutheran College

On December 10, 2010, Ben Sasse was installed as president of Midland Lutheran College.

2010: Gave speech about ACA repeal

In 2010, Ben Sasse gave a speech in which he said Republicans would probably lack the votes to repeal the ACA and had staged symbolic repeal votes.

2010: Named President of Midland University

In 2010, Ben Sasse was named the 15th president of Midland University in Fremont, Nebraska.

2010: Took leadership of Midland Lutheran College

In the spring of 2010, Ben Sasse took over leadership of Midland Lutheran College.

October 2013: Announced Candidacy

In October 2013, Ben Sasse announced his candidacy for the Senate seat.

October 2013: Amended Employment Contract

In October 2013, after Ben Sasse announced his intention to run for U.S. Senate, his employment contract with Midland Lutheran College was amended to reduce his pay.

May 13, 2014: Won Republican nomination

On May 13, 2014, Ben Sasse won 92 of 93 counties and secured the Republican nomination with 109,829 votes, or 49.4% of all votes cast.

November 4, 2014: Won General Election

On November 4, 2014, Ben Sasse won the general election, defeating Democratic nominee David Domina with 64.4% of the vote to Domina's 31.5%.

2014: Elected to U.S. Senate

In 2014, Ben Sasse was elected to the U.S. Senate, defeating Democratic nominee David Domina.

December 31, 2014: Stepped down as president

After winning the Republican primary election, Ben Sasse stepped down as president of Midland Lutheran College, effective December 31, 2014.

January 6, 2015: Sworn in as U.S. Senator

On January 6, 2015, Ben Sasse was sworn in as a member of the U.S. Senate.

2015: Became Senator

In 2015, Ben Sasse began representing Nebraska in the United States Senate.

2016: Only senator to vote against Comprehensive Addiction and Recovery Act

In 2016, Ben Sasse was the only senator from either party to vote against the Comprehensive Addiction and Recovery Act, which aimed to address heroin and opioid abuse. Despite acknowledging his concern over opioid abuse, Sasse questioned the federal government's role in drug treatment.

2016: Sasse announced he would not support Trump

In early 2016, Ben Sasse announced he would not support Donald Trump if he became the Republican nominee for president. Sasse questioned Trump's commitment to the U.S. Constitution and suggested he might leave the Republican Party if it became the party of Trump.

September 2017: Consideration of leaving the GOP

In September 2017, Ben Sasse stated he thought about leaving the GOP "every morning" and considered himself "an independent conservative who caucuses with the Republicans". He also criticized Trump's policies, calling him a "megalomaniac strongman" and describing his trade war with China as "nuts".

2017: Publication of "The Vanishing American Adult"

In 2017, Ben Sasse authored the book "The Vanishing American Adult".

2017: Data reported for infants born alive

In 2017, there were 10,177 abortions in Minnesota, and three resulted in an infant born alive. None of the three survived, even with healthcare.

2017: Proposed immediate repeal of ACA

In 2017, with Republicans unable to develop a repeal-and-replace plan for the Affordable Care Act (ACA), Ben Sasse proposed an immediate repeal with a one-year delay in implementation, urging the Senate to work on a replacement measure during its August recess.

March 2018: Criticism of Trump's congratulations to Putin

In March 2018, Ben Sasse criticized Donald Trump for congratulating Vladimir Putin on his election victory. Sasse stated that it was wrong for the President to congratulate Putin and for the White House to avoid answering whether Putin's reelection was free and fair.

July 2018: Speculation about a presidential bid

In July 2018, Politico reported that Ben Sasse had launched a new political non-profit group, fueling speculation about a potential presidential bid. The report also noted that Sasse and Donald Trump were in communication multiple times a month.

December 1, 2018: Arrest of Meng Wanzhou

On December 1, 2018, Huawei's CFO Meng Wanzhou was arrested in Canada at the request of U.S. authorities. Ben Sasse commented that China is undermining U.S. national security interests.

December 18, 2018: Voted against the FIRST STEP Act

On December 18, 2018, Ben Sasse voted against the bipartisan criminal justice reform legislation, the FIRST STEP Act, despite it passing with near-unanimous consent (87-12).

2018: Publication of "Them: Why We Hate Each Other – and How to Heal"

In 2018, Ben Sasse authored the book "Them: Why We Hate Each Other – and How to Heal".

2018: Reactions to Sasse's third-party suggestion

In 2018, following Ben Sasse's suggestion of a third-party candidate, Donald Trump called it "the work of a loser." Several Nebraska Republican politicians, including State Senators Bob Krist and Beau McCoy and U.S. Senator Deb Fischer, criticized Sasse's statements.

January 2019: Vote to block lifting sanctions against Russian companies

In January 2019, Ben Sasse was one of 11 Republican senators who voted to advance legislation intended to block Donald Trump's intent to lift sanctions against three Russian companies.

February 2019: Voted against legislation

In February 2019, Ben Sasse was one of 16 senators to vote against legislation preventing a partial government shutdown and containing $1.375 billion for barriers along the U.S.–Mexico border.

March 2019: Cosponsored a resolution

In March 2019, Ben Sasse was one of 12 senators to cosponsor a resolution that would impose a constitutional amendment limiting the Supreme Court to nine justices.

2019: Introduced Born-Alive Abortion Survivors Protection Act

In 2019, Ben Sasse introduced the Born-Alive Abortion Survivors Protection Act, which would have penalized health-care practitioners who fail to provide care for an infant that is born alive from an abortion attempt.

February 5, 2020: Voted to acquit Trump

On February 5, 2020, Ben Sasse joined almost all Republican senators in voting to acquit Donald Trump on both articles of impeachment during Trump's first impeachment trial.

May 2020: Attack on China over COVID-19 pandemic

In May 2020, Ben Sasse delivered a graduation speech at Fremont High School criticizing China over the COVID-19 pandemic. The remarks drew criticism from his Democratic opponent and a school board member. The school board disavowed responsibility for Sasse's comments, while Sasse's spokesperson defended them.

August 2020: Conflict with Trump over executive order

In August 2020, Ben Sasse criticized Donald Trump's executive order authorizing stimulus after Congress failed to agree on a second COVID-19 relief package, calling it "unconstitutional slop". Trump responded by calling Sasse a RINO and saying he had "gone rogue".

October 2020: Criticism of Trump at campaign town hall

In October 2020, during a campaign town hall event, Ben Sasse criticized Donald Trump for mocking evangelicals, treating the presidency like a business opportunity, and flirting with white supremacists. He also criticized Trump's foreign policy and treatment of women, expressing concern over Trump's "stupid political obsessions" and "rage tweeting".

December 2020: Response to Trump's pardons

In December 2020, Ben Sasse responded to Donald Trump's pardons of people connected to himself by saying, "This is rotten to the core."

2020: Acknowledged Biden's win and condemned Trump's efforts to overturn election results

In 2020, Ben Sasse acknowledged Joe Biden's win in the presidential election and condemned Donald Trump's efforts to overturn the election results. Sasse also criticized Senator Josh Hawley's plan to challenge the results, warning it would "disenfranchise millions of Americans".

2020: Defeated Democratic opponents

In 2020, Ben Sasse defeated Democrats Chris Janicek and Preston Love Jr., receiving 62.7% of the vote.

2020: Certified Electoral Votes

In 2020, Ben Sasse voted to certify Arizona's and Pennsylvania's electoral votes in the presidential election.

2020: Re-elected to U.S. Senate

In 2020, Ben Sasse was re-elected as a U.S. Senator.

January 6, 2021: Storming of the U.S. Capitol

On January 6, 2021, Ben Sasse was participating in the certification of the 2021 United States Electoral College vote count when Donald Trump supporters stormed the U.S. Capitol. Sasse held Trump responsible for the attack.

February 13, 2021: Voted to convict Trump

On February 13, 2021, Ben Sasse joined six other Republican senators in voting to convict Donald Trump during his second impeachment trial.

February 2021: Censure by Lincoln County Republican Party

In February 2021, the Lincoln County Republican Party censured Ben Sasse for his comments about Donald Trump's impeachment. The county chair expressed regret that state law did not allow for Sasse to be recalled. Sasse responded to the Nebraska Republican Party's consideration of censure by stating, "Politics isn't about the weird worship of one dude."

May 27, 2021: Vote on bipartisan commission to investigate January 6 Capitol attack

On May 27, 2021, Ben Sasse voted with five other Republicans and all present Democrats to establish a bipartisan commission to investigate the January 6 Capitol attack. The vote failed due to a lack of the 60 required "yes" votes.

November 2022: Abstention from voting on Respect for Marriage Act

In November 2022, Ben Sasse abstained from voting on the Respect for Marriage Act, which codified same-sex marriage rights into federal law.

2022: Advocacy for military assistance to Ukraine

Following the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine, Ben Sasse advocated for expanding American military assistance to Ukraine, stating, "If [Ukraine] can shoot it, we should ship it."

2022: Selected as president

In autumn 2022, Ben Sasse was selected as the 13th president of the University of Florida.

January 8, 2023: Resigned from U.S. Senate

On January 8, 2023, Ben Sasse officially resigned from the U.S. Senate to become president of the University of Florida.

February 6, 2023: Assumed presidency

On February 6, 2023, Ben Sasse assumed the presidency of the University of Florida.

2023: Resigned from Senate

In 2023, Ben Sasse resigned from his position as a U.S. Senator to become the president of the University of Florida.

July 18, 2024: Announced Resignation from University of Florida

On July 18, 2024, Ben Sasse announced that he would be resigning from his position as president of the University of Florida, effective July 31, 2024, due to his wife's health issues.