John Thune
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John Randolph Thune ( THOON; born January 7, 1961) is an American politician serving as the senior United States senator from South Dakota, a seat he has held since 2005. A Republican, Thune has been the Senate majority leader and Senate Republican leader since January 2025. He is in his fourth Senate term. A South Dakota native, Thune is a graduate of Biola University (BA) and the University of South Dakota (MBA). From 1997 to 2003, he served three terms as the U.S. representative for South Dakota's at-large congressional district. He first ran for the U.S. Senate in 2002, narrowly losing to incumbent senator Tim Johnson. In 2004, Thune ran for Senate again and defeated Senate Democratic leader Tom Daschle, making Daschle the first incumbent Senate leader to lose an election since 1952. During his Senate tenure, Thune has served as the Republican chief deputy whip (2007-2009); chair of the Senate Republican Policy Committee (2009–2012); Senate Republican Conference chair, the third-ranking position in the Senate (2012–2019); majority whip (2019–2021); and minority whip (2021–2025). In 2024, Thune was elected Senate Republican leader, succeeding Mitch McConnell.