John Thune

John Thune
Official portrait, 2021
Senate Minority Whip
Assumed office
January 20, 2021
LeaderMitch McConnell
Preceded byDick Durbin
Senate Majority Whip
In office
January 3, 2019 – January 20, 2021
LeaderMitch McConnell
Preceded byJohn Cornyn
Succeeded byDick Durbin
Chair of the Senate Commerce Committee
In office
January 3, 2015 – January 3, 2019
Preceded byJay Rockefeller
Succeeded byRoger Wicker
Chair of the Senate Republican Conference
In office
January 26, 2012 – January 3, 2019
LeaderMitch McConnell
Vice ChairRoy Blunt
Preceded byLamar Alexander
Succeeded byJohn Barrasso
Chair of the Senate Republican Policy Committee
In office
January 3, 2009 – January 26, 2012
LeaderMitch McConnell
Preceded byJohn Ensign
Succeeded byJohn Barrasso
United States Senator
from South Dakota
Assumed office
January 3, 2005
Serving with Mike Rounds
Preceded byTom Daschle
Member of the U.S. House of Representatives
from South Dakota's at-large district
In office
January 3, 1997 – January 3, 2003
Preceded byTim Johnson
Succeeded byBill Janklow
Personal details
Born
John Randolph Thune

(1961-01-07) January 7, 1961 (age 63)
Pierre, South Dakota, U.S.
Political partyRepublican
Spouse
Kimberley Weems
(m. 1984)
Children2
EducationBiola University (BA)
University of South Dakota (MBA)
Signature
WebsiteSenate website

John Randolph Thune (/ˈθn/ 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. Thune is in his fourth Senate term and is the Senate minority whip, a post he has held since 2021. A member of the Republican Party, Thune served three terms as the U.S. representative for South Dakota's at-large congressional district from 1997 to 2003.

Thune has worked in politics and civic organizations since completing his MBA degree. He first ran for U.S. Senate in 2002, losing to incumbent Senator Tim Johnson. In 2004, he defeated Senate Democratic Leader Tom Daschle. In the Senate, Thune served as the Republican chief deputy whip from 2007 to 2009 and chaired the Senate Republican Policy Committee from 2009 to 2012. He served as the Senate Republican Conference chair, the third-ranking position in the Senate, from 2012 to 2019.

The Senate Republican Conference selected Thune as majority whip for the 116th Congress; he succeeded Senator John Cornyn of Texas, who was term-limited in the position. In 2020, he was chosen as minority whip for the 117th Congress.