John Thune, number two Senate GOP leader announces 2022, reelection on Twitter
The number two Senate GOP leader John Thune has announced he is running for reelection this year.
The South Dakota senator – and likely successor to Republican leader Mitch McConnell – announced his run for reelection on Twitter on Saturday, putting an end an end to recent speculation over his political future.
‘I’ve always promised that I would do the work, even when it was hard, uncomfortable, or unpopular,’ Thune said in a statement posted on Twitter.
‘That work continues, which is why after careful consideration and prayer, and with the support of my family, I’m asking South Dakotans for the opportunity to continue serving them in the US Senate.’
The 61-year-old has remained undecided for the last several months as to whether or not he would run for a fourth term, after first being elected to the House of Representatives in 1996 where he served three terms.
The number two Senate GOP leader John Thune has announced he is running for reelection this year
In a statement posted to Twitter on Saturday, Thune said: ‘I’ve always promised that I would do the work, even when it was hard, uncomfortable, or unpopular. That work continues, which is why after careful consideration and prayer… I’m asking South Dakotans for the opportunity to continue serving them in the US Senate,’ Thune tweeted
The South Dakota senator – and likely successor to Republican leader Mitch McConnell – announced his run for reelection on Twitter on Saturday, putting an end an end to recent speculation over his political future
Thune had previously expressed doubt over his efforts for reelection, telling his local newspaper that the long commutes and time away from home have taken a toll on his family, however he ultimately had decided to move forward with the campaign.
In 2004, Thune defeated then-top Senate Democratic leader Tom Daschle after losing in an unsuccessful Senate bid in 2002.
Since then, he has held multiple leadership posts while quickly rising through the ranks in the senate chamber.
However, Thune eventually butted heads with former President Donald Trump following the 2020 election, when the senator speculated Trump would go down like ‘a shot dog’ after challenging the results of the election in Congress.
Thune, left eventually butted heads with former President Donald Trump, right, following the 2020 election, while Trump would go on to call Thune a ‘RINO,’ or a Republican in name only
In response, Trump would go on to call Thune a ‘RINO,’ otherwise known as a Republican in name only, go so far as to ask South Dakota GOP Governor Kristi Noem to launch a primary challenge against Thune to remove him from his senate post.
Shortly after, Noem would go on to tweet that she would not be running against Thune, despite Trump’s pleas.
‘John Thune is a friend of mine, and I will not be challenging him,’ Noem tweeted back in December 2020.
‘I’m honored to be Governor of South Dakota and will ask the people to give me an opportunity to continue serving them as Governor in 2022.’
Pictured: South Dakota Governor Kristi Noem, who declined to run against Thune at former President Donald Trump’s request
‘John Thune is a friend of mine, and I will not be challenging him,’ Noem tweeted back in December 2020
McConnell, center, lobbied for Thune to run for reelection in South Dakota, where the GOP leader’s top deputy has earned widespread support in the dependably red state
Meanwhile, McConnell lobbied for Thune to run for reelection in South Dakota, where the GOP leader’s top deputy has earned widespread support in the dependably red state.
In a late December a radio interview, he called Thune an ‘outstanding senator,’ before adding it ‘would be real setback for the party and for the country if he retired and I certainly hope he won’t.’
Although Thune typically supports GOP leadership, he did break party lines when he voted against the bipartisan infrastructure bill in the fall.
A handful of GOP senators have opted out of running for reelection this year, including Senator Roy Blunt of Missouri, Pat Toomey of Pennsylvania, Rob Portman of Ohio, Richard Shelby of Alabama and Richard Burr of North Carolina.
