John Thune
U.S. Senator
Republican, South Dakota
- Date of Birth: January 7, 1961
- Birthplace: Pierre, S.D.
- First Elected: 2004
Committee Assignments:
Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry, Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation, Senate Committee on Finance, Senate Committee on the BudgetJohn Thune is a first term senator seeking re-election in 2010. He graduated from Biola University in La Mirada, California in 1983 and earned his MBA from the University of South Dakota in 1984. For the following two years, he served as legislative assistant to South Dakota Republican Sen. Jim Abdnor, whom he first met in a grocery store check out line while Thune was in high school. After a series of state appointments, including executive director of the South Dakota Republican Party, Thune served as his state's at-large congressman for three terms, beginning in 1996. He lost his first Senate race in 2004 to incumbent Democratic Sen. Tim Johnson by 524 votes. In 2006, however, Thune made headlines by defeating then-Senate Minority Leader Tom Daschle in a $35 million dollar race, the most expensive in the state's history and the first time in 52 years a Senate leader was defeated. Thune will not face an opponent in the 2010 midterm elections, but he has been successful with fundraising. His reelection campaign has raised over $11 million since 2005. He has a strong conservative voting record, opposing gay marriage and abortion. He also voted against the Employment Free Choice Act, which would help workers form unions, and the Central American Free Trade Agreement. But a year after his Senate election, Thune worked with Johnson and Democratic South Dakota Rep. Stephanie Herseth Sandlin to petition the close of Ellsworth Air Force Base, which employed thousands of South Dakota residents, the base remained open. He is the chairman of the Republican Policy Committee, crafting the party's position on issues. Thune and his wife Kimberley have two daughters and live in Sioux Falls, S.D.
Campaign Fundraising
2005 - Present| Top 5 Organizations | PACs | Individuals | Total |
| Blue Cross/Blue Shield | $14,000 | $16,000 | $30,000 |
| Crow Holdings | $0 | $29,050 | $29,050 |
| Xcel Energy | $8,000 | $15,650 | $23,650 |
| Lombard Investments | $0 | $22,450 | $22,450 |
| DM&E Railroad | $0 | $22,100 | $22,100 |
| Top 5 Industries | PACs | Individuals | Total |
| Retired | $0 | $467,576 | $467,576 |
| Republican/Conservative | $18,477 | $216,300 | $234,777 |
| Leadership PACs | $207,727 | $0 | $207,727 |
| Insurance | $133,000 | $71,350 | $204,350 |
| Lobbyists | $8,398 | $190,579 | $198,977 |
John Thune in the News
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Boring 2012 GOP Field Has Activists Eyeing Christie, Thune, Huck
June 14, 2011
GOP strategists say it's not too late to get into 2012 race. -
Fenn: 6 Reasons Sarah Palin Should Run for President in 2012
June 06, 2011
A Democrat argues in favor of a Sarah Palin candidacy in 2012. - Sen. Thune: Sen. Alexander Is 'A Tough Act to Follow' Senator John Thune, R-S.D., wants to move up a notch in the Republican leadership. When Sen. Lamar Alexandar, R-Tenn., announced Tuesday that he will leave his job as Senate Republican Conference Chairman, Thune immediately announced plans to seek the No.…
- Sen. Lamar Alexander to end Republican leadership role In a surprise move on Capitol Hill, Senator Lamar Alexander of Tennessee, a staunch Republican, will end his position in the Senate's Republican leadership in 2012. His reason, he says, is to use his time in making the Senate a…
- Thune: Top Message I Got From Town Halls Is 'Don't Cut My Social Security And Medicare' As Republican lawmakers held constituent meetings in their home districts over the August recess, they were often confronted for taking hard-right positions on everything from taxes to entitlement reform, sending a message that at least Sen. John Thune (R-SD) seems…
