John Thune grew up in Murdo, South Dakota. His interest in politics was sparked at a young age after making five of six free throws during a freshman high school basketball game. He was later greeted by a spectator who said, “I noticed you missed one.” That spectator happened to be well-known sports enthusiast South Dakota Congressman Jim Abdnor. That introduction was the start of a friendship that ignited John’s career in public service.

Thune received a Bachelor’s Degree from Biola University and his Master’s degree in Business Administration from the University of South Dakota. He married Kimberley Weems, a native of Doland, South Dakota, in 1984.

Thune’s attraction to public service led him to Washington, D.C. to work for U.S. Senator Jim Abdnor. He then served at the Small Business Administration under an appointment from President Ronald Reagan. In 1989, John and his family returned to South Dakota, where he served as the Executive Director of the South Dakota Republican Party. Governor George S. Mickelson appointed him the State Railroad Director in 1991, a position he held until 1993 when he became Executive Director of the South Dakota Municipal League.

In 1996, with a shoestring budget and the support of family and friends, John won his first term as South Dakota’s lone member of the U.S. House of Representatives. John was re-elected to a second term by the largest margin in South Dakota history. He returned again to Washington in 2001 to serve his third term in the House. 

Thune then honored his 1996 campaign pledge to serve only three terms in the U.S. House of Representatives. After a narrow loss in a U.S. Senate race in 2002, he won his current U.S. Senate seat in 2004, when he made history by defeating Majority Leader Tom Daschle. It was a sitting U.S. Senate party leader for the first time in 52 years.

Thune was elected to serve a second term in the U.S. Senate in 2010 in a rare unopposed race. He was only the third Republican and the lone South Dakotan to run unopposed for the U.S. Senate since direct elections were created in 1913.

For the 116th Congress, Senator Thune served on the Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry Committee; the Commerce, Science, and Transportation Committee; and the Finance Committee. He served as chair of the Senate Commerce Committee from 2015-2019. Thune also served in Republican leadership as chairman of the Senate Republican Policy Committee from 2009 – 2011 and served as the chairman of the Senate Republican Conference from 2012-2019. Currently, he serves as the Senate Republican Whip.

John and his wife Kimberley live in Sioux Falls, South Dakota and have two grown daughters, Brittany and Larissa. In his free time, Thune enjoys spending time with his family, pheasant hunting, and running.