The 1996 United States Senate election in Kansas was held November 5, 1996. Incumbent Republican U.S. Senator Nancy Kassebaum decided to retire instead of seeking a fourth term. Republican Pat Roberts won the open seat.

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1996 United States Senate election in Kansas

← 1990 November 5, 1996 2002 →

Nominee Pat Roberts Sally Thompson Party Republican Democratic Popular vote 652,677 362,380 Percentage 62.02% 34.44%

County results Roberts:      40-50%      50-60%      60-70%      70-80%      80-90% Thompson:      60–70%

U.S. senator before election Nancy Kassebaum Republican Elected U.S. Senator Pat Roberts Republican

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Term limits were an issue during the campaign; while Roberts said that he was not totally opposed to term limits, he was wary of limits that did not apply to current members of Congress, saying that the proposed limits should apply to everyone. While Thompson signed the national term limits pledge from the group Americans for Limited Terms, Roberts declined to do so, becoming the only major party candidate for the U.S. Senate in the 1996 elections to not sign the pledge.^[1] However, he did say that "I plan only to serve two terms in the U.S. Senate."^[2] In 2014, he was re-elected to a fourth and final term in office, before retiring in 2020.

• 1996 United States Senate elections