Former senator turns activist voice against Trump, backs Kansas Democrats
Former senator Kassebaum Baker backed Trump impeachment and endorsed Kansas Democrats in post-Senate activism.
Event / Politics
Nancy Kassebaum Baker Death
Nancy Kassebaum Baker, former U.S. Senator from Kansas and first woman elected to the Senate without following a spouse into office, died at age 94. She served three Senate terms from 1979-1997, chairing the Labor and Human Resources Committee, and co-authored the 1996 Kassebaum-Kennedy health insurance law.
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2026-08-23 to 2026-11-08 · UTC publication dates
Coverage begins 23 Aug, 00:22 UTC
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What happened
Nancy Kassebaum Baker re-elected in 1990 with 74 percent of vote
Nancy Kassebaum Baker won re-election to the U.S. Senate in 1990 with 74 percent of the vote.
Howard Baker named U.S. ambassador to Japan
President George W. Bush named Howard Baker, Nancy Kassebaum Baker's husband, as U.S. ambassador to Japan in 2001. He served in the position for four years, and Nancy accompanied him.
Nancy Kassebaum Baker dies at age 94
Nancy Kassebaum Baker, former U.S. Senator from Kansas, died on Friday of natural causes. She was 94 years old.
Health insurance law named after Kassebaum Baker and Ted Kennedy
A 1996 health insurance law bore the name of Nancy Kassebaum Baker along with that of liberal Massachusetts Senator Ted Kennedy.
Howard Baker serves as Reagan's chief of staff
Howard Baker, whom Nancy Kassebaum Baker married in 1996, was elected to three terms in the U.S. Senate and served from 1967 to 1985 before becoming President Ronald Reagan's chief of staff.
Nancy Kassebaum Baker wins 1978 Senate election with 54 percent of vote
Running as Nancy Landon Kassebaum, she won 53.9 percent of the vote in November 1978 against former two-term Democratic congressman Bill Roy. She won the Republican primary with less than 31 percent of the vote in a crowded field of nine candidates.
Kassebaum Baker and Howard Baker marry
Nancy Kassebaum Baker married former Senator Howard Baker, a Tennessee Republican, in December 1996. It was the first time a man and a woman who had both served in the Senate wed.
Kassebaum Baker chairs Senate Labor and Human Resources Committee
When Nancy Kassebaum Baker announced her retirement from the Senate, she was among eight women senators and the only one to chair a Senate committee, serving as chair of the Labor and Human Resources panel.
Kassebaum Baker endorses Democratic candidates in Kansas
Later in life, Nancy Kassebaum Baker broke with the Republican Party as it became more conservative, endorsing Democratic candidates for Kansas governor and U.S. senator, including Democratic Governor Laura Kelly in both her campaigns.
Nancy Kassebaum Baker re-elected in 1984 with 76 percent of vote
Nancy Kassebaum Baker won re-election to the U.S. Senate in 1984 with 76 percent of the vote.
Kassebaum Baker endorses Trump impeachment
In 2021, Nancy Kassebaum Baker declared that President Donald Trump should be impeached after Trump supporters attacked the U.S. Capitol to stop congressional certification of Trump's defeat in the 2020 election.
Kassebaum Baker supports assault weapons ban
Nancy Kassebaum Baker supported a ban on assault weapons championed by President Bill Clinton, a position that generated substantial backlash from conservative activists and inspired the angriest mail of her Senate career.
Nancy Kassebaum Baker elected first woman to U.S. Senate without spousal precedent
Nancy Kassebaum Baker became the first woman elected to the U.S. Senate without following a spouse into office. She was elected to the Senate in 1978 and served three terms, leaving office in early 1997.
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2 alternative perspectives
Political power consolidated through marriage to Baker administration figure
Her spouse held key positions in Reagan's administration and served as ambassador to Japan.
Pioneer who shattered Senate's gender barrier leaves lasting legislative mark
Pioneer senator Kassebaum Baker, first woman elected to Senate without spousal precedent, shaped healthcare policy and broke gender barriers.