John Thune

Thune and Romney drove home a theme of restoring conservative principles of limited spending and using the private sector to create jobs, and Romney echoed Thune's claim that the Troubled Asset Relief Program should not be treated as a revolving loan fund or a slush fund for lawmakers' pet projects.

A former Presidential candidate was in Sioux Falls Friday night trying to help South Dakota's Senator win re-election. Currently Republican Senator John Thune is the only one running for the Senate seat, and the deadline for a Democrat to file is March 31st. Even so, Thune is getting some big-name support from former Presidential candidate Mitt Romney.

Less than ten months away from the 2010 election, Senator John Thune is still without an opponent. Although November's election is shaping up to be a less stressful race than 2004, the Senator is quick to point out, you don't take chances in politics.

John Thune says, "You can't take anything for granted, and we're not gonna do that. We're gonna work as hard as we can to go out and earn the support of the people of South Dakota."

The last time John Thune ran for the Senate, he fought a pitched battle in one of the nation's most watched races, and his victory over Tom Daschle made him a darling of the Republican party.

This time around, to say the least, his bid for the Senate lacks the same drama as Democrats struggle to find even token opposition to run against him.

North Dakota Gov. John Hoeven was in Sioux Falls on Wednesday for his first out-of-state fundraiser since announcing his run for the U.S. Senate last month.

South Dakota Sen. John Thune, a longtime friend of Hoeven's, hosted the event for the popular North Dakota governor. For Hoeven, it was a natural location for his first fundraiser outside North Dakota. Thune had been nudging him for months to run for Senate, and the two states share business alliances and common interests in Washington.