John Thune

John Randolph Thune was born on January 7, 1961, in Pierre, South Dakota, and grew up in the small town of Murdo. He earned a Bachelor of Arts in business from Biola University in 1983 and a Master of Business Administration from the University of South Dakota in 1984. Before his election to Congress, Thune worked as a legislative aide to U.S. Senator James Abdnor and held several administrative roles, including executive director of the South Dakota Republican Party and state railroad director under Governor George S. Mickelson. A member of the Republican Party, Thune was first elected to the U.S. Congress in 1996 as South Dakota's at-large representative in the House. After serving three terms, he ran for the U.S. Senate in 2002, narrowly losing to incumbent Tim Johnson. He returned to the ballot in 2004 and defeated Senate Minority Leader Tom Daschle, a historic victory that marked the first time in 52 years that a sitting Senate floor leader was unseated. He has since been reelected to the Senate in 2010, 2016, and 2022. Throughout his Senate career, Thune has held several high-ranking leadership positions, including Chairman of the Republican Policy Committee and Republican Conference Chairman. He served as the Senate Republican Whip from 2019 to 2025, and in November 2024, he was elected by his colleagues to serve as the Senate Majority Leader for the 119th Congress. His legislative priorities often center on agriculture, telecommunications, and energy policy, reflecting the economic interests of his home state.

Thune maintains a consistently conservative voting record with a focus on fiscal policy and rural interests. He advocates for smaller government, lower taxes, and the repeal of the federal estate tax. On healthcare, he supports patient-centered solutions and has consistently voted for pro-life measures and the restriction of federal funding for abortion. Regarding immigration, Thune emphasizes that border security is a vital component of national security and supports increased enforcement while also backing temporary worker programs like the H-2B visa. In terms of the environment, he is a proponent of renewable energy and rural broadband expansion but strongly opposes the Green New Deal and other federal regulations he views as detrimental to the agricultural economy. His foreign policy stance focuses on maintaining a strong military to provide global deterrence and protect American interests abroad.