John Thune

John Thune is South Dakota’s Republican junior United States Senator. He was born on January 7, 1961. In 1983, Thune graduated with a B.A. in Business from Biola University, an Evangelical Christian college in California, followed by an MBA from the University of South Dakota in 1984.

Thune worked as an aide to Senator James Abdnor and in the Small Business Administration under Reagan. In 1991, he was appointed as the South Dakota’s Railroad Director until 1993, when he became a member of the South Dakota Municipal League, a group that coordinates municipalities on issues and lobbies the state government on their behalf.

In 1996, Thune ran a successful campaign for a seat in the United States House of Representatives. He was re-elected two more times, before leaving office as per a term limit promise he made. This also happened to coincide with his unsuccessful run for the United States Senate in 2002.

After his defeat, Thune worked as a lobbyist for the Dakota, Minnesota & Eastern Railroad before waging a successful Senate campaign against the incumbent Senate Minority Leader Tom Daschle in 2004. His win was part of a concerted effort to remove Daschle, since Daschle was singled out as the “chief obstructionist” of the Bush administration’s agenda. $30 million dollars was spent on the election- the most of any Senate race that year and the most in South Dakota history. Thune ran on his support of gun rights and an amendment against the right to burn the American flag, as well as his opposition to gay marriage rights and abortion. He also campaigned on his strong support for the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.

One of his first acts upon being seated in the Senate, besides taking the post of Republican deputy chief whip, was to add language to a transportation bill that netted Dakota, Minnesota & Eastern Railroad $2.5 billion dollars in federal financing. He has been a strong supporter of wind energy and ethanol, which dovetails with his state’s high corn production and windy climate. He has earned a 100 rating on his voting record by the American Conservative Union.

Thune wears his faith on his sleeve, describing his faith as the most important part of his career in politics. He shared his hope that the Iraq invasion would lead to greater religious freedom in a 2005 interview in Christianity Today, stating, “”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.”

Thune was mentioned as a possible running mate for John McCain in the 2008 presidential election due to his conservative stance and evangelical bent, which would have cemented support from the traditional elements of the Republican Party. He has since emerged as a possible contender for the Republican presidential nomination in 2012.