Former Nebraska US Sen. Ben Sasse reveals advanced pancreatic cancer diagnosis

Former Senator Ben Sasse Reveals Terminal Pancreatic Cancer Diagnosis

Former Nebraska U.S. Senator Ben Sasse announced Tuesday that he has been diagnosed with advanced pancreatic cancer, sharing the news in a candid message on social media that has shocked colleagues across the political spectrum.

“This is a tough note to write, but since a bunch of you have started to suspect something, I’ll cut to the chase,” Sasse wrote. “Last week I was diagnosed with metastasized, stage-four pancreatic cancer, and am gonna die.”

The 53-year-old Republican, known for his independent streak within the GOP, said he is now “marching to the beat of a faster drummer” following the diagnosis. Despite the grave prognosis, Sasse expressed determination to fight the disease.

“I’m not going down without a fight. One sub-part of God’s grace is found in the jawdropping advances science has made the past few years in immunotherapy and more,” Sasse wrote. “Death and dying aren’t the same — the process of dying is still something to be lived.”

Sasse’s political career was marked by his willingness to break with party orthodoxy, particularly during the Trump administration. First elected to the Senate in 2014, he won reelection in 2020 despite facing a pro-Trump primary challenger who targeted his criticism of the former president.

Throughout his tenure, Sasse emerged as one of the most consistent Republican critics of President Donald Trump, questioning his character, moral values, and approach to foreign policy. This independent stance culminated in February 2021, when Sasse became one of just seven Republican senators to vote to convict Trump on charges of “incitement of insurrection” following the January 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol.

His principled stand against Trump cost him politically in deeply red Nebraska, where he faced threats of public censure from state Republican officials. In response, Sasse broadened his critique to include party loyalists who he believed had abandoned conservative principles in favor of blind allegiance to a single leader.

In 2023, Sasse resigned from the Senate to become the president of the University of Florida, a move that came after a contentious approval process. His tenure at the university was brief; he stepped down in 2024 after his wife was diagnosed with epilepsy.

Prior to his Senate career, Sasse built a resume that spanned academia and government service. He holds degrees from Harvard, St. John’s College, and Yale, and served as an assistant secretary of Health and Human Services during the George W. Bush administration. Before entering politics, he was president of Midland University, a small Christian institution in eastern Nebraska.

Pancreatic cancer is among the most aggressive forms of cancer, with stage four indicating the disease has spread beyond the pancreas to other organs. According to the American Cancer Society, the five-year survival rate for distant (metastasized) pancreatic cancer is approximately 3 percent.

The diagnosis has prompted an outpouring of support from colleagues across the political spectrum, many of whom praised Sasse’s intellectual contributions to policy debates and his willingness to prioritize principles over political expediency.

Sasse and his wife have three children. His announcement, while direct and somber, also reflected the philosophical approach that characterized his public service—acknowledging harsh realities while maintaining perspective on what truly matters.

The news adds to a series of high-profile cancer diagnoses among current and former political figures in recent years, including Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, Senator John McCain, and Representative Jamie Raskin’s son Tommy, all reminders of how cancer affects Americans across all walks of life.