Senator John Thune was born on January 7th, 1961 in Murdo, South Dakota. A star high school athlete, he played basketball and Biola University in California, where he graduated in 1983 with a Bachelors Degree in Business. He then went on to earn a Masters of Public Administration from the University of South Dakota in 1984. That same year, he married his wife Kimberley Weems, with whom he has two daughters. From 1985 to 1987, Senator Thune served as a legislative aide to United States Senator James Abdnor. After Abdnor lost his seat on the Senate, Senator Thune followed him to work at the Small Business Administration.
In 1989, Senator Thune returned to South Dakota, where he served as the executive director of the Republican Party for two years. In 1991, he was appointed Railroad Director for South Dakota, where he stayed until his appointment as Executive Director of the South Dakota Municipal League in 1993. He served at that post until 1996, when he was elected to the United States House of Representatives with 59 percent of the vote. He was re-elected in 1998 with 75 percent of the vote, and again in 2000 with 73 percent. True to his word, Senator Thune stepped down after his third term and made a bid for United States Senate in 2002. He was unsuccessful that year, losing the election by just 524 votes. He ran again in 2004 and won, defeating Democratic Senate Minority Leader Tom Daschle with 51 percent of the vote. In an unprecedented election in 2010, Senator Thune Ran with no opposition, and was easily re-elected.
During his time in Congress, Senator Thune has been an advocate of energy independence, sponsoring legislation for the major industries in his home state, corn (ethanol) and wind energy. He also sponsored a bill that would allow citizens with licenses to carry concealed weapons to enjoy mutual benefits in other states. Senator Thune is an outspoken Christian, who is extremely pro-life and supports the banning of same sex marriage. He opposed President Obama’s health care reform, voting against it twice. Currently, Senator Thune is a member of the Committee on the budget, as well as a Ranking Member of the International Trade, Customs, and Global Competitiveness Subcommittee (part of the Committee on Finance), the Aviation Operations, Safety, and Security Subcommittee (part of the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation), and of the Jobs, Rural Economic Growth, and Energy Innovation Subcommittee (part of the Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry). |
