Sen. Kassebaum of Kansas to Seek Third Term Despite Pledge

Sen. Nancy Landon Kassebaum (R-Kan.) announced Thursday that she will seek reelection, reversing a pledge to serve only two terms.

The 56-year-old senator, daughter of former Republican presidential candidate Alf Landon, is one of only two women in the Senate.

“It’s been very difficult,” Kassebaum said of her decision. “I have been struggling with it for some time. Up to yesterday, I can’t truthfully say I knew for sure.”

Senate Republican leader Robert Dole of Kansas said, “She’s a one-of-a-kind public servant, incomparable and unbeatable . . . . Nancy’s third term is in the bag.”

Kassebaum said her original qualms about a third term centered on whether any senator could muster the same energy and commitment after 12 years, adding: “I came to terms with whether I could challenge myself.”