About John Thune


U.S. Senator John Thune, R-SD

John Thune was raised in the town of Murdo, South Dakota, which had a population of 500. John's father was a World War II fighter pilot who returned home to Murdo to run the family hardware store and started teaching and coaching and his mother was the school librarian. John was active in sports and attended Biola University.

He became enthused about politics and cast his first vote for Ronald Reagan during the conservative wave of 1980. John first ran for Congress in 1996, successfully defeating the popular Lt. Governor in the GOP primary and then went on to win the general election. In 2004, John defeated the sitting US Senate Majority Leader in the most-watched Congressional race of the year. Ever since, John has been deeply involved in GOP Senate leadership, serving as Conference Chairman, Commerce Committee Chairman, GOP Whip and now Senate Majority Leader. He currently serves on the Agriculture, Nutrition & Forestry Committee; Commerce Science & Transportation Committee; and Finance Committee.

John was re-elected in 2022 with 70% of the vote.