John Thune : Net Worth, Family, Wife, Education, Children, Age, Biography and Political Career

John Randolph Thune is an American businessman and politician serving as the senior us Senator from South Dakota, a seat he was first elected to in 2004. A member of the Republican Party, he has served as Senate Minority Whip since 2021.

Thune has worked in politics and civic organizations since completing his MBA degree. He served within the U.S. House of Representatives for South Dakotas at-large district from 1997 to 2003. within the us Senate, he served because the Republican Chief Deputy Whip from 2007 to 2009 and as chair of the Senate Republican Policy Committee from 2009 to 2012. He served because the Senate Republican Conference chair from 2012 to 2019, the third-ranking position within the Senate.

Thune became South Dakotas senior U.S. Senator upon Tim Johnsons retirement in 2015. hes the dean of South Dakotas congressional delegation. The Senate Republican Conference selected Thune as Majority Whip for the 116th Congress, succeeding Senator John Cornyn of Texas, who was term-limited within the position. He is Minority Whip within the 117th Congress.

Thune was a star athlete in highschool, active in basketball, track, and football. He graduated from Jones County highschool in 1979. He played college basketball at Biola University in California, from which he graduated in 1983 with a Bachelor of Arts degree in business. Thune received a Master of Business Administration degree from the University of South Dakota in 1984.

After completing his MBA, Thune became involved in politics. He worked as a legislative aide for U.S. Senator James Abdnor from 1985 to 1987. In 1980 Abdnor had defeated U.S. Senator George McGovern.

In 1989 Thune moved back to Pierre, where he served as executive of the state Republican Party for 2 years. Thune was appointed Railroad Director of South Dakota by Governor George S. Mickelson, serving from 1991 to 1993. From 1993 to 1996 he was executive of the South Dakota Municipal League.

He is physically active and has frequently competed in running events. A 2012 Runners World Magazine feature called Thune "the fastest man in Congress since 2009."

Thune may be a fan of the bands Styx, Journey, Boston, and therefore the Doobie Brothers.

John Thune Net Worth

John Thune Net Worth is $ 800 Thousand in 2021.

John Thune Family

Thune was born in Pierre, South Dakota, the son of Yvonne Patricia and Harold Richard Thune. Harold Thune was a combat pilot within the Pacific theater during war II who flew the Grumman F6F Hellcat. KELO News reported that "Thune flew numerous missions for the Navy from an carrier. He received the Distinguished Flying Cross for shooting down four enemy planes within the Hellcat." Harold Thune flew his missions off the USS Intrepid. Thunes paternal grandfather, Nicholas Thune, was an immigrant from Norway who partnered together with his brother Matt to start out Thune Hardware stores in Mitchell and Murdo, South Dakota. Thunes maternal grandfather was from Ontario, Canada, and his mother was born in Saskatchewan. Thunes brother, Richard Thune, is an English teacher at Rowland highschool in California.

John Thune Wife and Children

Thune is an evangelical Christian and married Kimberley Weems of Doland, South Dakota in 1984. they need two daughters and 4 grandchildren.

John Thune Career and Achievement

U.S. House of Representatives (1997–2003)

Elections

In 1996 Thune decided to form his first raid electoral politics by entering the race for South Dakota s lone seat within the U.S. House of Representatives. The Almanac of yank Politics said that Thune "entered the 1996 race as considerably an underdog." His primary opponent was sitting elected official Carole Hillard of Rapid City , who benefited from the support of the longtime South Dakota Governor Bill Janklow. A May 1996 poll showed Hillard before Thune 69%-15%. By counting on strong personal skills and therefore the help of his old network of Abdnor friends, Thune won the first , defeating Hillard 59%-41%. within the election , Thune defeated Democrat Rick Weiland, a long-serving aide to U.S. Senator Tom Daschle, 58%-37%.

Thune won his subsequent races for U.S. House by wide margins. He was reelected in 1998 with 75% of the vote and in 2000 with 73% of the vote. In 2002, after briefly considering a run governor, Thune set his sights on a run the U.S. Senate.

U.S. Senate (2005–Present)

Elections

2002

In 2002 Thune challenged incumbent Democratic U.S. Senator Tim Johnson. Thune lost by only 524 votes (0.15%). One study concluded: "While the margin of victory was a mere 524 votes, stepping into that winning position required variety of important factors, including Native American turnout, the power of Johnson and his allies to more effectively use the bottom war to urge their message out, Thunes ineffectiveness on the air and lack of experience in winning competitive elections, low vote in key Republican counties, the drought, and eventually the presence of Kurt Evans. Evans, a Libertarian candidate who withdrew from the race, endorsed Thune, but remained on the ballot and siphoned away more votes from Thune than Johnson. Evans received only 3,070 votes, but that ended up being sixfold greater than the margin of victory." Despite the close results, Thune didnt contest the election.

2004

In 2004 Thune challenged Tom Daschle, the us Senate legislator and leader of the Senate Democrats. In early 2003 Daschle had unexpectedly decided to not run president. CNN reported that the "announcement surprised even a number of his closest aides, one among whom told CNN plans were being made for Daschle to announce his candidacy Saturday in his hometown of Aberdeen, South Dakota."

This was the foremost expensive senate campaign in 2004, with $30 million spent and therefore the costliest race in South Dakota history. it had been widely followed within the national media. Thune, along side Senate legislator Bill Frist, President George W. Bush, and vice chairman Dick Cheney, described Daschle because the "chief obstructionist" of Bushs agenda: "Thune was ready to criticize Daschle for serving incompatible masters and portray him, as Frist did when he came to South Dakota to campaign for Thune, as a partisan obstructionist and political heir to liberal icon and former Senator George McGovern of South Dakota."

Daschles critics charged the Democrat with using filibusters to dam confirmation of several of Bushs nominees to the Federal Judiciary and of being out of step with South Dakota voters on other political and social issues: "The GOP had targeted Daschle, the Senate legislator , claiming he had been the chief obstruction to President Bush on such issues as tax cuts, judicial nominees and therefore the war in Iraq."

When the race began in early 2004, Daschle led by 7% in January and February. By May, his lead fell to only 2% and into the summer, polls showed an efficient tie. Throughout September, Daschle led Thune by margins of 2–5%; from October until the All Souls Day election, most polls showed Thune and Daschle tied 49% to 49% among likely voters.

On All Souls Day , 2004, Thune defeated Daschle by 4,508 votes, winning 51% of the vote. Daschles loss was the primary ousting of an incumbent legislator since 1952, when Arizona Senator Ernest McFarland lost to Barry Goldwater. The ny Times reported that the loss made "Mr. Daschle the primary Senate party leader in additional than five decades to be voted out of office. The race had been closely watched by both parties, with White House officials calling the senator an obstructionist for opposing the president on the war in Iraq, tax cuts and judicial nominees. Senator Daschle had fought hard, raising $16 million during the campaign as of mid-October, which he spent largely on television advertisements. Mr. Thune had raised $10 million by an equivalent time."

South Dakota native Tom Brokaw commented that Thune "ran a really strong campaign" to win the 2004 race. University of South Dakota social scientist Bill Richardson said, "motivated John Thune supporters visited the polls in large numbers, a part of a huge South Dakota turnout. Unofficial results show nearly 80 percent of registered voters cast ballots."

After Thune defeated Daschle, many Republicans regarded him as a "rising star with unlimited political potential."

2010

Thune was re-elected 2010 with none opposition in either the first or general elections. Scott Heidepriem, the South Dakota Senate legislator and a Democratic candidate for Governor of South Dakota, said, "We just concluded that John Thune is a particularly popular senator who goes to win another term within the Senate." The conservative publication Townhall commented that the absence of a Democratic candidate within the election marked "the first time within the states modern history during which a serious party has did not field a Senate candidate."

2016

In 2016 Thune faced Democratic candidate Jay Williams, Chair of the Yankton County Democratic Party . On November 8, 2016, Thune defeated Williams, winning 71.8% of the vote.

Tenure

On December 6, 2006, Thune was chosen by Senate Republican Whip Trent Lott to be the GOPs Chief Deputy Whip. After briefly serving as Republican Conference Vice-Chairman, in June 2009 Thune became chairman of the Republican Policy Committee, the fourth-ranking position within the Senate.

In March 2009 Thune was one among 14 senators to vote against a procedural move that essentially guarantees a serious expansion of a service corps. The Congressional Budget Office estimated the bill would cost a minimum of $418 million within the financial year 2010 and $5.7 billion from 2010 to 2014.

He was elected Republican Conference Chairman in 2011, taking office in January 2012. The Conference Chairman is that the third-ranking position within the United States Senate . In late 2011 the Mitchell Daily Republic reported that "Thunes elevation to the No. 3 spot makes him the highest-ranking Republican senator in South Dakota history. Thune has served as chairman of the Republican Policy Committee from 2009 until this time and was president of the Republican Conference from 2008 to 2009 and therefore the Republican chief deputy whip from 2006 to 2008."

Thunes emergence as a conservative voice within the Senate gained him a lengthy profile within the conservative magazine The Weekly Standard. The American Conservative Union gave Senator Thune a rating of 100 in 2006 and again in 2010. As of 2020 Thunes lifetime ACU rating was 84.11. Thune was praised during a 2010 Weekly Standard profile as an exceptional politician who was, unlike many of his colleagues, ready to communicate traditional conservatism, making him a well-liked alternative to party representatives.

Russia Investigation

In June 2018, Thune called on Special Counsel Robert Mueller to "start winding" down his investigation into Russian interference within the 2016 presidential election.

Presidential and Vice-Presidential Speculation

Prior to the choice of Sarah Palin, Thune was mentioned as a possible vice presidential pick for Republican nominee John McCain within the 2008 presidential election. Thune publicly played down the speculation.

Significant speculation arose regarding a possible 2012 presidential bid by Thune. He was encouraged to travel by Senate legislator Mitch McConnell, and South Carolina Senator Lindsey Graham, who called him "a consensus builder." One Wall Street Journal article stated that Thune had "name ID within the parts of the primary caucus state of Iowa that get neighboring South Dakota media, a $6.9 million checking account he could use for a presidential run, and a national fundraising list of 100,000 names from his race against Daschle." DNC executive Jennifer OMalley Dillon publicly stated that "among a field of generally flawed Republican presidential candidates, theres one who genuinely scares her. This is personal but John Thune is somebody that I even have nightmares about, she said. Ive worked for Tim Johnson and Tom Daschle and hes just a man you cannot ever declare ." consistent with multiple commentators, Thunes candidacy might be helped by his personal appearance. On Washingtons Birthday, 2011, Thune announced he wouldnt run in 2012.

During the summer of 2012 the USA Today reported that "South Dakotas Thune is on list for vice chairman," but Wisconsin Congressman Paul Ryan was instead selected because the campaigner of Republican nominee Mitt Romney.

Despite some speculation, Thune declined to hunt the White House in 2016, stating that his "window...might have closed 2012."