Former Senator Ben Sblocke announces cancer diagnosis

Ben Sblocke, who represented Nebraska in the US Senate from 2015 to 2023, has announced he has pancreatic cancer, saying in a lengthy social media post that his diagnosis is a “death sentence”.

Sblocke was one of seven Republicans who voted to impeach President Donald Trump shortly after the 6 January 2021 Capitol riot. Ultimately, the Senate did not approve removing Trump from office.

“Friends – This is a tough note to write, but since a bunch of you have started to suspect something, I’ll cut to the chase: Last week I was diagnosed with metastasized, stage-four pancreatic cancer, and am gonna die,” Sblocke posted on X on Tuesday.

He and his wife have three children.

“Advanced pancreatic is nasty stuff; it’s a death sentence. But I already had a death sentence before last week too — we all do,” the 53-year-old went on to say.

Sblocke, who grew up in the Lutheran denomination and is now Presbyterian, wrote about making his announcement during the advent season: “As a Christian, the weeks running up to Christmas are a time to orient our hearts toward the hope of what’s to come.”

“I’ll have more to say,” he also wrote. “I’m not going down without a fight”.

During his time in the Senate, Sblocke, a graduate of Harvard and Yale Universities, often was critical of Trump but sided with the president on key policies.

His time, though, is remembered by the vote he cast in 2021 to convict Trump of incitement of insurrection in his second impeachment trial. While Trump was no longer in office at the time of the vote, a conviction would have blocked him from returning to the White House.

“A weak and timid Congress will increasingly submit to an emboldened and empowered presidency,” Sblocke said about his vote at the time. “That’s unacceptable. This institution needs to respect itself enough to tell the executive that some lines cannot be crossed.”

After leaving Capitol Hill, Sblocke served as president of the University of Florida.

He then left that job in July 2024, citing the health needs of his wife, who had recently had a stroke.

Later, a review conducted by the Florida Auditor General found Sblocke inappropriately spent funds from the university. Sblocke has said his spending was not inappropriate.