--- description: Find out how Ben Sasse is shaping the future and defining the next generation of leadership. title: 2021 TIME100 Next: Ben Sasse image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blta672b33c3afb12ec/698a17164ee262caf7318650/time100-next-Ben-Sasse.jpg?branch=production&width=3840&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 --- Feb 16, 2021 # Ben Sasse by Mitt Romney  Sen. Ben Sasse, (R-Neb.) attends a Senate Judiciary Committee hearing on China, in the Dirksen Senate Office Building in Washington, Dec. 12, 2018\. President Donald Trump lashed out on Twitter after Senate Democrats blocked a bill sponsored by Sasse that would penalize doctors for failing to provide medical care for babies born alive after attempted abortions. (Sarah Silbiger/The New York Times) Sen. Ben Sasse, (R-Neb.) attends a Senate Judiciary Committee hearing on China, in the Dirksen Senate Office Building in Washington, Dec. 12, 2018\. President Donald Trump lashed out on Twitter after Senate Democrats blocked a bill sponsored by Sasse that would penalize doctors for failing to provide medical care for babies born alive after attempted abortions. (Sarah Silbiger/The New York Times)Sarah Silbiger—The New York Times/Redux A number of U.S. Senators have impressive résumés, political skills and admirable personal qualities; what distinguishes Ben Sasse is that he combines them all and excels in each of them. Sasse draws upon impressive scholarship and academic experience at Harvard, Oxford, Yale and as president of Midland University to identify and dissect the challenges faced by our country. Today, his focus includes the rise of China, its malevolent actions and the responses required to confront them. With a mix of self-deprecating humor, historical anecdotes and compelling logic, Sasse grabs and holds audiences from the Senate floor to the Nebraska campaign trail. But Sasse’s rising national influence is derived less from his oratory skills and education than from his character. Senator Sasse does not shrink from speaking the truth regardless of the political consequence. His state party’s efforts to censure him are a testament to his honor. Ben Sasse is one of our best. _Romney is a Republican Senator from Utah_ ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"Article","@id":"https://time.com/collections/time100-next-2021/5937691/ben-sasse/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/collections/time100-next-2021/5937691/ben-sasse/"},"headline":"Ben Sasse","datePublished":"2021-02-16T21:51:44.000Z","dateModified":"2026-03-02T23:47:22.142Z","description":"","url":"https://time.com/collections/time100-next-2021/5937691/ben-sasse/","keywords":["list","franchise","TIME 100 Next"],"thumbnailUrl":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blta672b33c3afb12ec/698a17164ee262caf7318650/time100-next-Ben-Sasse.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"TIME Staff","jobTitle":null,"url":"https://time.com/author/time-staff/"}],"creator":"TIME Staff","articleSection":"","image":[{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blta672b33c3afb12ec/698a17164ee262caf7318650/time100-next-Ben-Sasse.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","width":1200,"height":675}],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Time","url":"https://time.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://time.com/images/logo.png","width":528,"height":156},"foundingDate":"March 3, 1923","sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/time","https://www.instagram.com/time/?hl=en","https://twitter.com/time","https://www.pinterest.com/timemagazine"]}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/collections/time100-next-2021/5937691/ben-sasse/","name":"Ben Sasse"}}]}] ```