Roy was born in Bloomington, Illinois, and attended the public schools in nearby Lexington and earned a B.S.

In a 1996 interview with PBS, he explained his decision to seek election to the Senate, saying, "I was far from an admirer of Bob Dole, I'll tell you that.

He sought a rematch with Kassebaum in 1990 and won the Democratic primary, but dropped out of the race, citing personal issues.

His columns often reflected a liberal perspective, including support for abortion rights[2] and opposition to the policies of President George W.

[7][4] This article incorporates public domain material from the Biographical Directory of the United States Congress