Nancy Kassebaum Baker, Pioneering Kansas Senator, Dies at 94

Nancy Kassebaum Baker, the first woman elected to the U.S. Senate without following a spouse, has died at 94. She served three terms representing Kansas and was known for her moderate Republican views, including support for gun control and a health insurance law. She was also one of the few Republicans to call for President Trump's impeachment.

Kassebaum Baker's 1978 Senate bid was a long-shot effort, entering a nine-candidate Republican primary with minimal funding and winning the nomination with less than 31 percent of the vote. She then defeated former Democratic congressman Bill Roy, capturing nearly 54 percent. Her early independence showed when she refused to endorse a balanced-budget constitutional amendment, warning against seemingly simple solutions.

Her legislative legacy includes the 1996 health insurance law co-authored with Senator Ted Kennedy. At her retirement, she was one of eight women in the Senate and the only female committee chair, leading the Labor and Human Resources panel. She married fellow senator Howard Baker in 1996, the same year she left office, and remained active in public service afterward.