John Thune: Difference between revisions
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Thune was chosen to be the GOP's Chief Deputy Whip. He also serves on the Senate's Agriculture, Commerce, and Armed Services Committees. |
Thune was chosen to be the GOP's Chief Deputy Whip. He also serves on the Senate's Agriculture, Commerce, and Armed Services Committees. |
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==Political Philosophy== |
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John Thune considers himself a Christian conservative.{{fact}} |
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The [[American Conservative Union]] gave Senator Thune a rating of "100" in 2006.<ref>http://www.acuratings.org/2006all.htm#SD</ref> |
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Thune's religious faith is also an important component of his political philosophy. He has stated, "Having a Christian worldview shapes my decision-making with respect to all aspects of my life. I always respect people in public life who are principled, and those principles have to be connected to something. And my faith is what serves as the anchor and directs my actions."<ref>http://www.christianitytoday.com/ct/2005/februaryweb-only/42.0a.html</ref> In June 2006, Thune reaffirmed his strong support to amend the [[United States Constitution]] to ban same sex marriages: "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."<ref>http://www.cnn.com/2006/POLITICS/06/07/same.sex.marriage/</ref> |
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In a 2005 interview with ''[[Christianity Today]]'', Thune supported the liberation of Iraq, and expressed a hope that this would result in greater religious freedom: "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."<ref>http://www.christianitytoday.com/ct/2005/februaryweb-only/42.0a.html</ref> |
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According to Newsweek (July 26, 2004), Thune does not believe in [[evolution]]. |
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==Electoral history== |
==Electoral history== |
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Revision as of 19:04, 4 April 2008
John Thune | |
|---|---|
 | |
| United States Senator from South Dakota | |
| Assumed office January 3, 2005 Serving with Tim Johnson (politician) | |
| Preceded by | Tom Daschle |
| Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from South Dakota's At-Large district | |
| In office January 7, 1997 – January 3, 2003 | |
| Preceded by | Tim Johnson |
| Succeeded by | Bill Janklow |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Tim Johnson |
| Died | Tim Johnson |
| Resting place | Tim Johnson |
| Political party | Republican |
| Spouse | Kimberley Thune |
| Children | Two |
| Parent |
|
| Alma mater | Biola University University of South Dakota |
John Randolph Thune (born January 7, 1961) is the Republican junior U.S. Senator from the state of South Dakota.
Born and raised in South Dakota, Thune attended college in Los Angeles, California before returning to his home state to obtain a graduate degree at the University of South Dakota. He worked as a legislative aid to U.S. Senator James Abdnor and served in the Reagan Administration in the Small Business Administration, before winning election to the House of Representatives in 1996. After three terms in the House, he unsuccessfully challenged Democrat Tim Johnson in the U.S. Senate race in 2002, losing by a mere 524 votes (0.15%). Thune was elected to the Senate two years later, defeating the incumbent Democrat and serving Senate Majority Leader, Tom Daschle, in a historic race that received national media attention.
Early life and family
Thune was born in Pierre, South Dakota to Yvonne Patricia Bodine and Harold Richard Thune. Thune's paternal grandfather was an immigrant from Norway who partnered with his brother to start Thune Hardware stores in Mitchell and Murdo, South Dakota.[1] He was raised in the small-town of Murdo, South Dakota and graduated with his B.A. degree in Business in 1983 from Biola University. Thune received an MBA from the University of South Dakota in 1984. He and his wife Kimberley, who is from Doland, South Dakota, have two daughters, Brittany and Larissa.
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.
Thune was appointed Railroad Director of South Dakota by Governor George S. Mickelson and served from 1991-1993.
House of Representatives
In 1996, Thune was elected to South Dakota's lone 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.
Keeping his pledge, Thune instead ran for the United States Senate, challenging Senator Tim Johnson in 2002, and losing by 524 votes (0.15%). Ultimately, Thune decided not to pursue a recount.
2004 Senate race
In 2004, he again ran for the Senate, this time challenging incumbent Tom Daschle, at the time the United States Senate Majority Leader and leader of the Senate Democrats.
The race was the most expensive in South Dakota history and was widely followed in the national media. Thune — along with Senate Minority Leader Bill Frist, President of the United States George W. Bush, and Vice President Dick Cheney — painted Daschle as the "chief obstructionist" of Bush's agenda and charged Daschle with using filibusters to block confirmation of several of Bush's nominees to the federal judiciary.[citation needed]
On November 2, 2004, Thune defeated Daschle by 4,508 votes, winning 51% of the vote and became a well-known Republican figure in the U.S. Senate. Daschle's loss was the first ousting of a serving Senate Majority or Minority Leader since 1952, when Arizona Senator Ernest McFarland lost his seat to Barry Goldwater.
Senate service
Thune was chosen to be the GOP's Chief Deputy Whip. He also serves on the Senate's Agriculture, Commerce, and Armed Services Committees.
Electoral history
| Year | Democrat | Votes | Pct | Republican | Votes | Pct | 3rd Party | Party | Votes | Pct | 3rd Party | Party | Votes | Pct | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1996 | Rick Weiland | 119,547 | 37% | John R. Thune | 186,393 | 58% | Stacey L. Nelson | Independent | 10,397 | 3% | Kurt Evans | Independent | 6,866 | 2% | |||||
| 1998 | Jeff Moser | 64,433 | 25% | John R. Thune | 194,157 | 75% | |||||||||||||
| 2000 | Curt Hohn | 78,321 | 25% | John R. Thune | 231,083 | 73% | Brian Lerohl | Libertarian | 5,357 | 2% |
| Year | Democrat | Votes | Pct | Republican | Votes | Pct | 3rd Party | Party | Votes | Pct | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2002 | Tim Johnson | 167,481 | 50% | John R. Thune | 166,949 | 49% | Kurt Evans | Libertarian | 3,071 | 1% | ||||
| 2004 | Tom Daschle | 193,340 | 49% | John R. Thune | 197,848 | 51% |
References
- ^ "John Randolph Thune". rootsweb.com. Retrieved 2008-02-29.
{{cite web}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter:|coauthors=(help) - ^ a b "Election Statistics". Office of the Clerk of the House of Representatives. Retrieved 2007-08-08.
External links
Official sites
- United States Senator John Thune, official U.S. Senate site
- Friends of John Thune, official campaign site
Votes and news aggregators
- Biography at the Biographical Directory of the United States Congress
- Financial information (federal office) at the Federal Election Commission
- Profile at Vote Smart
- New York Times — John R. Thune News collected news and commentary
- SourceWatch Congresspedia — John Thune profile
- Representative-Elect John Thune (R-SD) CNN, 1996 profile
- John Thune at IMDb
Campaign contributions
- Political Money Line — John Thine campaign contributions
| Committee | Position |
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| Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry | Subcommittee Ranking Member |
| Armed Services | Subcommittee Ranking Member |
| Commerce, Science, and Transportation | |
| Small Business and Entrepreneurship |
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| Class 3 | ||
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Statewide political officials of South Dakota | ||
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| U.S. senators |  | |
| U.S. representative |
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| State government |
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| Senate |
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| House |
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| Supreme Court (appointed) |
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