Nancy Kassebaum Baker said she’d ‘rather cuddle up and do needlepoint all day,’ but became a rare Republican to call for Trump’s impeachment

Nancy Kassebaum Baker, a Kansas-born senator and pioneering female politician, passed away at the age of 94. Born on July 29, 1932, she served in the U.S. Senate for 18 years, leaving a lasting legacy of bipartisan cooperation. Kassebaum Baker had an independent streak, earning her the nickname "the woman who would rather cuddle up and do needlepoint all day," but she was a rare Republican to demand Trump's impeachment.

A centrist from the heartland, she was elected to the Senate in 1978 and served three terms, despite facing conservative backlash. Kassebaum Baker married former Sen. Howard Baker in 1996, and her compassionate nature endeared her to voters across party lines.