John Thune
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| John Thune | |
| | |
| 2005–Present | |
| Political party: | Republican |
|---|---|
| Preceded by: | Tom Daschle |
| Succeeded by: | Incumbent (2011) |
| Born: | January 7, 1961 Pierre, South Dakota |
| Spouse: | Kimberley Thune |
| Religion: | Evangelical Christian |
John Randolph Thune (born January 7, 1961) is the junior U.S. Senator from the state of South Dakota.
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[edit] Early life and family
Born in Pierre, South Dakota and raised in Murdo, South Dakota, Thune graduated from the Christian evangelical Biola University in 1983, and received an MBA from the University of South Dakota in 1984.
Thune and his wife Kimberley have two daughters, Brittany and Larissa.
[edit] Political career
A member of the Republican Party, Thune worked as a legislative assistant for U.S. Senator James Abdnor. Under President Reagan, Thune worked at the Small Business Administration. From 1991 until 1993, Thune was the Railroad Director of South Dakota under an appointment by Governor George S. Mickelson.
In 1996, Thune was elected to South Dakota's seat in the United States House of Representatives; he won reelection in 1998 and in 2000 was reelected with over 70% of the vote. Thune supported term limits and promised to serve no more than three terms in the House, and ran for the Senate afterwards. In 2002, he challenged Senator Tim Johnson, but lost to Johnson by 524 votes or 0.15%. Ultimately, Thune decided not to pursue a recount. Instead, Thune ran for the Senate again two years later against Senate Minority Leader Tom Daschle. The race was the most expensive in South Dakota history up to that point and was characterized by much mud-slinging, including John Thune’s asserting that Senator Daschle’s critique of the Iraq war “embolden[s] the enemy.”[1] In this and previous elections, Thune ran on a social conservative platform, emphasizing his evangelical faith and supporting an amendment to the constitution specifically banning gay marriage. According to Newsweek (July 26, 2004), he also is against the theory of evolution. On November 2, 2004, Thune narrowly defeated Daschle by 4,508 votes, winning 51% of the vote.
Soon after arriving in the Senate, Thune was faced with the challenge of keeping Ellsworth Air Force Base in Rapid City, South Dakota open after the Department of Defense announced plans to close the base as part of its 2005 round of base closures. The Pentagon announced that it planned to move all of Ellsworth's B-1 bombers to Dyess Air Force Base in Texas. Ellsworth Air Force Base is one of South Dakota's largest employers, and a critical component of the state's economic well-being, making it necessary for the state's political leaders to fight for its continued existence. Sen. Thune, along with Sen. Tim Johnson (D), lobbyied Washington, specifically the Defense Base Realignment and Closure (BRAC) Commission, to keep Ellsworth open. In their lobbying efforts, they argued that it made little sense to consolidate all of the nation's B-1s in a single location due to the risk of a single attack or tornado taking out the fleet. Also, it was discovered that the Pentagon may have overlooked a lawsuit that possibly prevented B-1 pilots at Dyess from engaging in adequate training. Ultimately, the BRAC Commission voted 8-1 to reverse the Pentagon's recommendation to close Ellsworth.
In June 2006, in line with several of his Republican colleagues, Thune reaffirmed his strong support to amend the U.S. Constitution to ban same sex marriages. He is quoted on the matter, "The federal marriage amendment debate simply is an opportunity for us to affirm our support for marriage...It is an important debate to have in this country."[2]
In a 2005 interview with Christianity Today, Thune added another reason for the invasion of Iraq beyond WMDs or alleged terrorist connections: "Liberating Iraq from decades of tyranny and dictatorship, bringing about political freedom, will create an atmosphere of where religious freedom will come to Iraq. And that opens the door, obviously, for the Christian faith there as well."[3]
[edit] 2008 Presidential election
Thune is considered a rising star in the Republican party, but his young age lends him the possibility of running in a later Presidential election. When asked in 2005 about whether he planned to run in 2008, Thune replied that he was currently committed to serving the people of South Dakota, neither a confirmation or denial of Presidential Ambitions.
[edit] Controversies
Several controversies have surrounded Sen. Thune, including his lobbying activity on behalf of big beef importers before running for the Senate and the role controversial figure Jake Young played in his 2004 election.[citation needed]
In June of 2006 it was reported that Thune had told the National Press Club that Republicans running for re-election are trying to distance themselves from President Bush. He is quoted as saying "If I were running in the state this year, you obviously don't embrace the president and his agenda,".[4] Thune's comments drew a round of criticism from conservative pundits who felt that this amounted to desertion of the President.
[edit] External links
- Official Site
- Campaign Web Site
- Congressional biography
- 1996 CNN biography
- Sen. Thune on the Issues
- Campaign Finance Information
- Another Campaign Finance Site
- Voting record maintained by the Washington Post
| Preceded by: Tim Johnson | United States Representative for South Dakota 1997–2003 | Succeeded by: Bill Janklow |
| Preceded by: Tom Daschle | United States Senator (Class 3) from South Dakota 2005– | Succeeded by: Incumbent |
| South Dakota's current delegation to the United States Congress |
|---|
| Senators: Tim Johnson (D) , John Thune (R)
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