Sasse expected to resign Senate seat, likely to be next University of Florida president

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Sen. Ben Sasse is expected to resign his Senate seat, Fox News has confirmed, and is likely to accept a new job as president of the University of Florida. 

The University of Florida announced Thursday that Sasse, R-Neb., is the lone finalist being considered by its presidential search committee.

"UF is the most important institution in the nation's most economically dynamic state," Sasse said in a tweeted statement. "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 want to go big, I'm excited about the wide range of opportunities."

Sasse would likely resign his post in December and start his new job at University of Florida in February. 

Sen. Ben Sasse, R-Neb., is expected to resign from his Senate seat. (Tasos Katopodis-Pool)

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"This is right for the University of Florida, right for the state of Florida and right for the Sasse family," Rahul Patel, the chair of the school's presidential search committee, said. "Ben brings intellectual curiosity, a belief in the power and potential of American universities, and an unmatched track record of leadership spanning higher education, government and the private sector."

"Having taught at the University of Texas, and served as a college president, Ben’s experiences are also deep and broad — from healthcare and technology to history and philosophy," Patel added. 

Sasse was the president of Midland University before being elected.

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The senator, who was one of the most vocal GOP critics of former President Donald Trump and voted to convict him on his second impeachment, tweeted a Tampa Bay Times article about the University of Florida president search. 

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Sasse was first elected in 2014 and reelected in 2020. That means his current Senate term is not up until 2026. Nebraska Gov. Pete Ricketts, a Republican, will appoint Sasse's replacement, who will serve until a 2024 special election is held for the seat. 

After that, Nebraska will hold a regular election for a senator to serve a full six-year term. 

"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."

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Regarding Sasse's replacement, Ricketts spokesperson Alex Reuss said that the governor's office isn't, "going to speculate at this point. Right now, Senator Sasse is a sitting U.S. Senator and there’s no appointment to be made."