WASHINGTON — Nebraska Republican Senator Ben Sasse is set to leave the Senate by the end of the year to become president of the University of Florida. post.
Sasse joined six other Republican senators to vote to convict President Donald J. Trump in the wake of the Jan. 6, 2021 Capitol riots, and his party endorsed Trump. I was severely criticized for doing so. In 2020 he was elected for a second term and would not be re-voted until 2026.
But as the campus was roiled by the debate over academic freedom, his educational background was clearly attractive to a group looking to replace Kent Fuchs, the current president of the University of Florida.
“This is the right thing for the University of Florida, it’s the state of Florida, it’s the right thing for the Sasse family,” said Rahul Patel, chairman of the Presidential Election Commission. “Ben brings intellectual curiosity, a belief in the power and potential of American universities, and an unmatched track record of leadership across higher education, government and the private sector.”
Sasse’s nomination was the beginning of an extended formal process that may not end until November or December, but the senator has made it clear that he would take the job if offered.
In a statement provided by the university and posted on Twitter, he asked not to be named a finalist, although he had previously been chased by other institutions.
“This time will be different because the University of Florida is very different,” he said in a statement. “Right now, I think Florida is the most interesting university in America.”
If Mr. Sasse resigns as expected, it would represent the final exit from Congress by members of the small and dwindling group of Republicans who have publicly broken with Mr. Trump. and lost party primaries targeted for dishonesty.
In Mr. Sasse’s case, given Nebraska’s decidedly Republican leaning, his resignation is highly unlikely to affect the balance of power in Congress. His seat will be filled by the appointment of Republican Governor Pete Ricketts, ahead of a future special election in which the Republican candidate will almost certainly win.
Sasse, who easily won the 2014 general election, holds a doctorate from Yale and a bachelor’s degree from Harvard. He was previously president of Midland College, a small Lutheran school in Nebraska.
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In the Senate, Sasse made it clear that he does not believe government is the solution to all problems and that he does not devote his life to politics. More than some of his colleagues, he vented his frustration about the partisan war that came to dominate and paralyze the Senate. At Judge Ketanji Brown-Jackson’s confirmation hearing last spring, he lamented the camera as “the ridiculous thing you see around here” of “people robbing.”
These views appeared to be at least one reason he was interested in moving on. He said it was the biggest problem facing the world and suggested that political leaders were not well-equipped to deal with it.
“Washington partisanship is not going to solve these workforce problems. New agencies and entrepreneurial communities must spearhead this work,” he said.
Sasse drew ire from the right when he convicted Trump of inciting riots just weeks before the 2020 election, accusing him of ranting at voters. rice field. But while he has been involved in bipartisan efforts in the Senate, the Senator has maintained a solidly conservative voting record.
Sasse will visit the Gainesville campus on Monday to take questions from students and faculty. The university board will consider the feedback, and on November 1, he will interview Mr. Sasse before making his final recommendation for the post. Barring any unexpected roadblocks, Sasse plans to step down from the Senate by the end of the year.
State universities are plagued by controversy over whether faculty members can serve as expert witnesses in lawsuits against the state on voting rights issues and other topics, and the issue of academic interference at the highest levels of state government. Sasse’s take on this issue will be closely watched as we navigate the rest of the interview process.
Initially, more than 700 people were considered candidates for high-profile academic posts, but the list was eventually narrowed down to about 10, with Sasse unanimously nominated, according to members of the research panel. It is said that