Pioneering Kansas senator Nancy Kassebaum Baker dies at 94

Former Kansas senator Nancy Kassebaum Baker, a trailblazing moderate Republican who won election in 1978 after defeating Bill Roy and was reelected in 1984 and 1990, died at age 94. Known for her bipartisan approach and independence from party orthodoxies—she refused to back a constitutional balanced-budget amendment—she did not seek a third term in 1996 and later married fellow senator Howard Baker, the first such union between former senators. She later served as ambassador to Japan under President George W. Bush and remained active in public life, including endorsing Democrats such as Laura Kelly and speaking out on issues like impeachment. She leaves behind seven grandchildren and two great-grandchildren.