Episode Details

Kansas has lost a trailblazer: Nancy Landon Kassebaum Baker, the first woman elected to the U.S. Senate from Kansas, passed away at 94. A fierce independent and champion of bipartisanship, she served three terms from 1979 to 1997, winning with strong margins after starting on her hometown school board. Daughter of presidential nominee Alf Landon and later wife of Senator Howard Baker, she broke new ground as one of the few women elected to the Senate without a spouse in Congress. In Washington, she fought for the Equal Rights Amendment, abortion rights, Martin Luther King Jr. Day, and opposed apartheid. Even post-retirement, she remained politically active, endorsing Democrats and criticizing Trump. Reflecting in 2022, she warned today’s political climate would make her path far harder. Her father initially doubted her run, but she turned his name into a campaign slogan: “A Fresh Face: A Trusted Kansas Name.” Her legacy is one of breaking barriers and building bridges — deeply loved in Kansas, remembered for her grit, grace, and unwavering commitment to public service.

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