John Thune won election to the Senate in 2004, defeating powerful Democratic leader Sen. Tom Daschle, but when a major Air Force base in his state was threatened with closure, His political future soon faced a fatal threat.
He fought back that effort, saving Ellsworth Air Force Base, a financial engine for a largely rural state, keeping his job and learning valuable lessons that helped him in the Senate rise.
Now Thune, a South Dakota Republican, has ascended to the top job, becoming Senate majority leader of the new Congress on Friday. He again faces early challenges and significant threats to his political standing.
Mr. Thune is tasked this time with juggling the demands of President-elect Donald J. Trump, the competing wishes of 53 Republican senators and a daunting legislative agenda. It starts with guiding multiple baggage-laden Trump nominees to confirmation in a closely divided Senate, where he can afford to lose no more than three Republican votes if Democrats unite in opposition.
At the same time, he intends to employ a clever maneuver to get around the obstruction and pass a comprehensive bill covering border security, military spending and energy production, which will require serious legislative skills. He hopes to complete the work in the first month or so while rearranging how and how often the Senate operates.
It’s a tall order for the 6-foot-4 former state basketball player, a sharpshooter with an avid pheasant hunt who turns 64 in a few days.
“All we can say is that he needs to balance a lot of interests to solidify his credibility,” said Sen. Kevin Cramer, a Republican from bordering North Dakota who endorsed Mr. Thune as leader and noted that his colleagues Never lied to him.
Mr Thune’s insiders say the debacle in the 2002 Senate race, the major campaign against Mr Daschle two years later and the subsequent fight to save Ellsworth hardened Mr Thune and left him He understood political realities. But he already displayed a clear aversion to losing while playing basketball for the high school team in his small hometown of Murdo, South Dakota, and later at Biola University, a private Christian college in California.
“It’s crazy how competitive he is,” said his brother Tim, who shares a bedroom with him in the 800-square-foot home and shoots hoops on the hard-packed dirt courts in the yard. “He always wants the ball. When the crunch time comes, he wants the ball.
Mr Thune seriously considered but gave up on the idea of running for president in 2012 and then considered retiring from the Senate in 2022. Thune decided to stay, and said he was willing to keep doing the job “even if it was difficult, uncomfortable or unpopular.” “
Despite his decision to stay, he has been unable to replace Mr McConnell after 18 years as leader and faces a tough challenge from Republican Sen. John Cornyn of Texas. challenge. Cornyn, who like Thune served as McConnell’s No. 2 at one point, is considered to have sharper political skills.
But when McConnell was sidelined with health issues in 2023, Thune had some trial runs at the top, and his colleagues were pleased with the results they saw. He spent months raising money to run as a Senate candidate and pledging to be a consensus builder, proposing an approach that was different from McConnell’s top-down, siled leadership style. He won a second-round vote, an outcome interpreted by many as a sign that Senate Republicans wanted a leader willing to keep at least some distance from Trump.
Now, even one of his rivals is expecting Mr Thune to take over.
“I’m optimistic,” said Sen. Rick Scott, R-Fla., who finished a distant third in the leadership race and is famously close to McConnell. Oops. “We will work hard together,” he said, describing the new leader as a “lovely man.”
Still, Mr. Thune’s affability has some senators privately worried that his desire to be liked might be holding him back. Being the leader of the Senate requires tough decisions that are sure to irritate someone who worries that his determination to avoid upsetting colleagues or getting hammered on social media could work against him.
His allies, while acknowledging that his personality is very different from Mr. McConnell, say Mr. Thune can handle pressure.
“He was a smart man. He was shrewd. He was able to make tough decisions when needed,” his brother said. “He’s learned to take criticism. He’ll deal with it and if it’s legitimate and valid, he’ll learn from it.
The person Mr Thune may find hardest to please is Mr Trump, who is angry about Mr Thune’s past criticism of his conduct and is frustrated that the No. 2 Senate Republican did not support his challenge to the 2020 election results and vote to confirm it Anger results. (Mr Thune himself chose not to contest his defeat in the 2002 Senate election by just over 500 votes, saying it would have divided the state.)
Trump had pushed for an unsuccessful primary challenge against Thunefa in 2022 and labeled him a RINO, a slur of “Republican in name only”, which is the biggest slur in the MAGA world. A serious insult. Thune, in turn, endorsed South Carolina Sen. Tim Scott in the Republican presidential primary, though he joined Trump after he secured the nomination.
He has since taken steps to repair his relationship with Trump, including a pilgrimage to Mar-a-Lago, the president-elect’s Florida estate and private resort. Trump is not involved in the leadership race and the two appear to have developed a working relationship, despite efforts by some of Trump’s advisers to block Thune. In addition, Cramer said Trump has begun to realize Thune’s advantages.
“I have spoken with Trump several times since John was elected leader,” Mr. Cramer said. “He liked him a lot. He liked the way he sounded. He liked the way he looked on TV. I think he thought he was an amazing asset.
Still, keeping Mr. Trump satisfied will be a never-ending job. Earlier this week, the president-elect warned Senate Republicans not to allow Democrats to botch the confirmation process.
“Republicans, be smart, be tough!!!” Trump, impatient and ignorant of the complexities of congressional procedures, urged on social media sites.
Thune’s political allies say he can take on Trump.
“President Trump is hard to read, and he’s certainly impulsive, but John has seen this, he’s seen him in action and has been dealing with him for four years,” said former South Dakota Gov. Dennis Daugaard. . He said he first met Mr. Thune when he was running for the state’s lone House seat in 1996, when the then-relatively unknown Mr. Thune pissed off the state’s lieutenant governor and launched his congressional career.
“I think John will treat President Trump the same as he treats everyone else,” Mr. Daugaard said. “He’s going to be pragmatic. I don’t think he’s going to over-promise.
Thune made significant promises about how the Senate would conduct itself under his leadership, promising that senators would work a full week instead of working from Monday evening to Thursday afternoon in recent years. He said he also plans to introduce more bills and allow for battles over amendments, at a time when leaders of both parties have recently tried to limit political risks by limiting the number of votes senators must vote on.
New leaders in Congress often say they will restore “normal order,” but back off that promise once it becomes politically dangerous and prompts complaints from colleagues who want to leave the Capitol for fundraising trips. Mr Thune seemed determined to stand his ground. He said Friday he would resist any effort to eliminate the Senate’s signature filibuster rules that allow minorities to block legislation.
“Unfortunately, there are many people today who want to see the Senate become a carbon copy of the House of Representatives,” Thune said in his first speech since assuming his new position. “One of my top priorities as leader is to ensure that the Senate remains the Senate. That means preserving the legislative filibuster, the Senate’s rules that today may have the greatest impact on preserving the vision of the founders of the United States Senate.
He said he would restore the Senate’s “status as a forum for discussion and deliberation” by empowering committees, adhering to normal legislative order and “conducting lengthy debates in the Senate where all members have the opportunity to have their views and voices heard.” of voters heard.
