Thune said he got into politics thanks to his high school basketball days.
Sen. John Thune (R-S.D.) was elected by his Republican colleagues on Nov. 13 to be Senate Majority Leader, succeeding Senate GOP leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.).
Thune, 63, has been married to his wife, Kimberley Weems, for four decades. They have two daughters and five grandchildren. His hobbies include hunting pheasant and running, according to his Senate website.
Below are six things to know about the next leader of the Senate and Senate GOP conference.
1. Basketball Inspired His Political Career
In a video posted to the social media platform X in March, Thune, 63, recalls getting into politics thanks to his high school basketball days.
He played as a freshman on the varsity team at Jones County High School in Murdo, South Dakota.
After a basketball game in 1976, he was at a department store when someone tapped him on the shoulder and reminded him that he had missed one of the six free throws he attempted. The person was Rep. Jim Abdnor (R-S.D.).
“He kind of started following my sports career. I started paying more attention to politics. And when I got out of grad school, I get a call from his office,” Thune said. “And by then he’s in the Senate and offering me a job out here, so my wife and I were like ‘Eh, we’ll do this for a year or two.’”
He ended up working with Abdnor for 4 1/2 years.
2. Has Served in the Senate for Nearly 2 Decades
Thune has been in the Senate since 2005 after upsetting Senate Minority Leader Tom Daschle (D-S.D.) in the 2004 election. Thune won by a margin of 1.16 percent. The senator ran unopposed in 2010, winning reelection with 100 percent of the vote. When Thune was up for reelection in 2016, he prevailed with more than 70 percent of support, and won by a similar margin in 2022.
In addition to serving as Senate minority whip, Thune has served as chair of the Senate Republican Policy Committee, which sets the agenda for the conference, the chair of the Senate Republican Conference, and the Senate majority whip.
