Ben Sasse, the former Republican senator from Nebraska, is using extra time granted by an experimental cancer drug to press for what he calls bigger conversations about politics, community and faith. At 54, Sasse is living with metastatic pancreatic-origin cancer that has spread to his liver, lungs and vascular system. Initially told in December he had three to four months to live, he entered a clinical trial for daraxonrasib, an investigational therapy from Revolution Medicines. Sasse says the treatment has produced a dramatic reduction in tumor volume and significantly eased his pain; company data show patients who survive six months on the drug had a median survival of about 13 months, a statistic offering cautious hope.
In a wide-ranging 60 Minutes conversation with Scott Pelley, Sasse described how a terminal diagnosis sharpens priorities. Knowing time is limited, he said, strips away pretense and forces an accounting of what matters most: family, faith, friendships and service to one s community rather than pursuit of titles or partisan triumphs. He framed the illness in theological terms, as both an evil to be fought and a clarity-granting reality that prompts honesty about limits.
Sasse and his wife, Melissa, have been married 31 years and have three children: two adult daughters and a 14-year-old son. He spoke plainly about the personal losses ahead — likely missing walking his daughters down the aisle and not being present for many of his son’s teenage milestones — while drawing comfort from his Reformed Christian faith and from the additional months his treatment has provided.
Beyond his personal reflections, Sasse used the interview to outline a set of policy concerns he believes both parties are neglecting. He warned that the digital revolution is already restructuring work, routinizing tasks, collapsing expectations of lifetime careers and demanding institution-building that prepares the nation for 2030 and 2050. He urged Congress to confront these shifts and to impose thoughtful regulation on artificial intelligence before the technology overwhelms social and economic systems.
Sasse criticized modern political incentives that reward spectacle and short-term headlines, arguing the Senate has been transformed into a stage for soundbites rather than an institution of deliberate, steady governance. He invoked a Lincoln–Reagan Republicanism that situates most civic life at the neighborhood, city and state level rather than as a constant national tribal identity. When politics becomes the primary organizing identity for people, he said, it crowds out other commitments that make life meaningful.
Reflecting on his Senate tenure, Sasse said he tried to remain connected to everyday Americans, taking odd jobs during recesses and spending time with Nebraskans to keep his perspective grounded. He left the Senate in 2023, with four years still remaining, to become president of the University of Florida. He cited family reasons and frustration with the lack of substantive legislative work as factors in his decision.
Sasse s public profile in recent years was marked by a readiness to break with party orthodoxy. He condemned what he called the monetization of outrage and pushed back against personality cults, conspiracy theories and unfounded claims that elections were stolen. His vote to convict former president Donald Trump in the second impeachment made him a lightning rod for criticism in parts of his party. Still, colleagues across the aisle praised his long-term thinking and concern for institution-building; Democrats and Republicans alike described him as someone who looked beyond partisan labels.
On his prognosis and treatment, Sasse called the drug trial a major factor in extending his life and improving quality of life. He described an apparent 76 percent reduction in tumor volume over several months and said the pain that marked the early days after diagnosis has declined. He spoke of providence and prayer alongside the science of the clinical trial as reasons he s been granted more time.
Sasse used that time to press others to rebuild neighbor-to-neighbor community and to restore civic institutions that can temper national tribalism. He urged a politics that privileges the slow, steady functions of governance over theatricality, and he argued for public policy that reckons with how automation and AI will reshape work and social structures.
Though candid about the emotional and practical toll of his illness, Sasse came across to Pelley as engaged and hopeful. He remains committed to conversations about national strategy, the future of work and the governance of powerful new technologies, even as he cherishes immediate family and spiritual life. His final appeal was for honesty about priorities: public office and titles are ways to serve, but they should not displace the human relationships and local commitments that give life its deepest meaning.
The interview is part of CBS News s Things That Matter series and was broadcast on 60 Minutes.