Gov. Pete Ricketts, a Republican, did not rule out replacing Sasse but did say he would not appoint himself to the position.
“If I choose to pursue the appointment, I will leave the appointment decision to the next governor and will follow the process established for all interested candidates,” Ricketts said. “It is the honor of a lifetime to serve as the governor of Nebraska. It is the greatest job in the world, and it will remain my number one focus for the remainder of my term.”
Under Nebraska law, the governor appoints a senator if a vacancy arises in the middle of a term. Sasse was re-elected in 2020.
Ricketts is finishing his second term as governor due to term limits. He is scheduled to leave office in early 2023.
Republican Jim Pillen, backed by Ricketts, is vying to replace Ricketts against Democrat Carol Blood.
Nebraska has not had a Democrat governor since 1999.
Ricketts said Sasse called him on Thursday to say he planned to resign from the Senate to take the job in Florida. According to the governor, that was the first time he heard about the plan.
Media reports said Sasse plans to resign before the end of the year. Sasse’s office declined to comment. Sasse said in a statement he was interested in the University of Florida job but did not offer timing for when he might leave the Senate. The University of Florida announced this week that its presidential search committee recommended only one person, Sasse, to the school’s Board of Trustees.
The Nebraska governor would have to appoint a senator within 45 days of a vacancy arising, according to the Nebraska Secretary of State’s Office.
A special election would then be held in 2024, and the winner would take office in early 2025 for approximately two years.
Senate terms are six years.
Ricketts ran for the U.S. Senate in 2006. He received 36 percent of the vote. Democrat Ben Nelson won with 64 percent of the vote.
Nelson chose not to run for re-election in 2012. Sen. Deb Fischer (R-Neb.) is the other senator representing Nebraska at this time.
