Former U.S. Sen. Ben Sasse announces terminal stage-four cancer diagnosis

[Omaha Steve]

Source: Nebraska Examiner

By: Aaron Sanderford - December 23, 2025 10:52 am Updated 11:02 am

OMAHA — Former Nebraska Republican U.S. Sen. Ben Sasse is dying of “metastasized, stage-four pancreatic cancer,” he announced on social media Tuesday.

“Advanced pancreatic is nasty stuff; it’s a death sentence. But I already had a death sentence before last week too — we all do,” Sasse wrote.

Most of the political world knows Sasse from his time tussling with President Donald Trump over the direction of the Republican Party, including being one of seven Republicans who voted to convict the president following his impeachment in 2021.

Sasse has been, in many ways, a traditional small-government conservative with an intellectual bent. He often critiqued the GOP’s turn toward populism under Trump and paid a price in public.





Read more: https://nebraskaexaminer.com/2025/12/23/former-u-s-sen-ben-sasse-announces-stage-four-cancer-diagnosis/

[Vinca]

1. Poor guy. That's about the worst diagnosis you can get.

[riversedge]

2. Sasse is only 53 years old. Cancer is so horrible.

[hlthe2b]

3. Damn... He was so comparatively young. Pancreatic cancer and lung cancer diagnoses just send shivers up my spine...

and especially with the former, we really have made so little progress. So many gastric surgeons though the incredibly complex Whipple surgical procedure was going to make inroads to improved survival, but just surviving the surgery is difficult enough.

I am very sorry for Ben Sasse and his family. Comparatively, he was one of the more moderate ones that Dems could work with.
May his days be as pain free as possible.

[Boomerproud]

4. I hope he has a clear conscience about his correct impeachment vote.

Healing light to him and his loved ones.

[mn9driver]

5. MRNA vaccine immunotherapy is in trials right now

Preliminary results look promising, but this nasty cancer usually moves fast. Sorry to hear about anyone getting this, with maybe one or two exceptions.

[Paladin]

6. Sad news. I wonder if trump can avoid talking shit about him. (nt)

[newdeal2]

11. Don't count on it

He’ll probably do it on Christmas Day too, that old Scrooge.

[twodogsbarking]

7. We have learned so much about cancer. Don't stop. So much sadness.

[LoisB]

8. Awful news. I wish peace and strength for him and his family.

[Peacetrain]

9. Oh I am so sorry you have to go through this..but you are right not to give up

This old Democrat is keeping you in her prayers.. hang tough Nebraska..

[valleyrogue]

10. He is only 53.

Way too young to die.

[electric_blue68]

12. Woah, one of the worse kinds...

Strength and peace to him, his family, and good friends.

(Almost no one ever mentions friends; when someone is devastatingly afflicted, or had a horrific accident.They can worry, and suffer [about] as much as faimly!)

[riversedge]

13. I agree, Friends can be affected as much as family when bad news comes to someone they know and love.

[electric_blue68]

14. TY.

[synni]

27. To me, friends ARE family

Thank you for keeping that in mind, when you posted that kind comment.

[electric_blue68]

30. You are very welcome...

Some very good friends do become family. They are treasured as much, and I am/ you are very lucky to have them.

[Kali]

15. terrible diagnosis

thank you for doing the right thing on impeachment

[mountain grammy]

16. Sorry to see this.

[WhiteCheek69]

17. I wonder if he has insurance?

Just asking

[RetiredParatrooper]

18. Sasse is the degenerate...

...who tossed a softball question to Amy Coney Barrett that let us know she didn't know what was in the First Amendment.

And voted to confirm her anyway, As well as Neil Gorsuch.

Also voted to acquit in the first impeachment.

Fuck that guy.

[Polybius]

19. There's always that one person...

[fujiyamasan]

23. Yeah as far as republicans go he wasn't that terrible

Would I have voted for him? Hell no, but I don’t live in Nebraska either, where tge last democrat they voted to to the senate was Ben Nelson (pretty conservative democrat in the mold of Manchin).

He left in 2013. Nebraska has got very red since.

Sasse actually voted to remove after January 6th so he deserves some credit. Fifty three is incredibly young and he has 3 kids. Sad.

[TBF]

25. A question you might ask yourself -

are we any better if we attack in kind?

Hegseth decided a second strike on a burning boat was a great idea to make sure he killed absolutely everyone with fire - and many of us thought that was too far. Imo, this is the same thing. He's already dying, no need to kill him again.

[RetiredParatrooper]

31. How's that 'When they go low...

...we go high!' working out for the Dems? The degenerate Sasse is in part responsible for the situation we are in today. He was a party to blowing up every norm there was. Until Dems figure out that comity has gone out the window and hold these asshats responsible for what they have done, don't expect things to change.

[TBF]

32. I think we have bigger fish to fry - ymmv. nt

[Polybius]

20. That sucks so much

Ben Sasse was one of the last of the principled Republicans (along with Jeff Flake and Mitt Romney). Handsome guy too, so sad.

[TBF]

26. Friend of a friend - I spoke w/someone last night who knew him years ago

not a bad guy at that point. Many have been caught up in "Trumpism" for lack of a better word. Not to excuse any bad behavior, but this guy is already dying, and I don't see a need to pile on.

[Betty Boom]

21. Cue Trump saying something horrible

😡

[fujiyamasan]

22. That is incredibly young

And as far as republicans go, he struck me as someone with a modicum of decency. Even though he voted party line 80%+ of the time, he remained critical of Trump throughout his presidency. Sure, that may not seem that impressive but it is Nebraska we’re talking about. It was better than his Trump sycophant suck up colleague Deb Fischer.

He actually voted to remove Trump during his second impeachment hearings, one of only five to do so.

[Efilroft Sul]

24. Fight the good fight, Ben.

[Traildogbob]

28. I hate this disease.

I do not wish it on anyone, except a hand full now at the top. I wonder how Sasse feels about JFK Jr and his daddy trump canceling all research dollars to fight cancer, just because Joe pushed hard to fund the research after his sons battle.

[democrank]

29. Such sad news

May he pass as peacefully as possible.

[Mysterian]

33. Sasse would deny medical care to others with the same condition but with less money

"I'm the national anti-ObamaCare Senate candidate
They've called me 'the national anti-ObamaCare Senate candidate.' I want to roll back ObamaCare, and to explain to the American people what a constructive conservative vision really looks like.
As President George W. Bush's Assistant Secretary of Health, during my time at HHS, I learned A LOT about health care. I've spent the better part of the last ten years in the health care sector, and I have intensely studied ObamaCare. The fact is, I'm one of the few people it seems who has actually read the 2,300 pages of ObamaCare, and let me just tell you--it's worse than you think. I understand the bill, I can explain the bill, and I know how to rip it apart.

The problem with ObamaCare goes way beyond technological glitches. The problem with ObamaCare is that it fundamentally changes the relationship between the Government and our citizens. [We should] repeal ObamaCare and get America back on track."

https://www.ontheissues.org/Social/Ben_Sasse_Health_Care.htm

Fuck him.

[Borogove]

34. My brother-in-law just died from pancreatic cancer. He had the Whipple procedure and lived for about four more years.

[lostnfound]

35. Tragically young. There's a promising new treatment ready for clinical trials

https://newsroom.ucla.edu/releases/immunotherapy-car-nkt-pancreatic-cancer-ucla

UCLA researchers have developed a CAR-NKT cell therapy that has shown to be more effective than current immunotherapies at fighting tumors in several different mouse models of pancreatic cancer.
Unlike current personalized cell therapies, which require weeks to manufacture, this novel therapy can be mass-produced and stored ready-to-use at a fraction of the cost.
With all preclinical studies now complete, the team is preparing to submit applications to the Food and Drug Administration to begin clinical trials.