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John Randolph Thune (born January 7 , 1961 ) is the junior U.S. Senator from the state of South Dakota . EARLY LIFE AND FAMILY Thune was born in , Thune graduated from Biola University , a school in California, in 1983 , and received an MBA from the University Of South Dakota in 1984 . Thune and his wife Kimberley have two daughters, Brittany and Larissa. POLITICAL CAREER A member of the Republican Party , Thune worked as a legislative assistant for U.S. Senator James Abdnor . Under President Reagan , Thune worked at the Small Business Administration . From 1991 until 1993 , Thune was the Railroad Director of South Dakota under an appointment by Governor George S. Mickelson . In 1996 , Thune was elected to South Dakota's seat in the United States House Of Representatives ; he won reelection in 1998 and in 2000 was reelected with over 70% of the vote. Thune supported Term Limit s and promised to serve no more than three terms in the House, and ran for the Senate afterwards. In 2002 , he challenged Senator Tim Johnson , but lost to Johnson by 524 votes or 0.15%. Ultimately, Thune decided not to pursue a recount. Instead, Thune ran for the Senate again two years later against Senate Minority Leader Tom Daschle . The race was the most expensive in South Dakota history up to that point and was characterized by much mud-slinging on both sides.In this and previous elections, Thune ran on a Social Conservative platform, emphasizing his evangelical faith and supporting an amendment to the United States Constitution specifically banning Gay Marriage . According to '' Newsweek '' (July 26, 2004), he does not believe in Evolution . On November 2 , 2004 , Thune narrowly defeated Daschle by 4,508 votes, winning 51% of the vote. Soon after arriving in the Senate, Thune was faced with the challenge of keeping Ellsworth Air Force Base in Box Elder, South Dakota (near Rapid City ) open after the Department of Defense announced plans to close the base as part of its 2005 round of base closures. The Pentagon announced that it planned to move all of Ellsworth's B-1 bombers to Dyess Air Force Base in Texas . Ellsworth Air Force Base is one of South Dakota's largest employers, and a critical component of the state's economic well-being, making it necessary for the state's political leaders to fight for its continued existence. Senator Thune, along with Senator Tim Johnson (D), lobbyied Washington, specifically the Defense Base Realignment And Closure (BRAC) Commission, to keep Ellsworth open. In their lobbying efforts, they argued that it made little sense to consolidate all of the nation's B-1s in a single location due to the risk of a single attack or tornado taking out the fleet. Also, it was discovered that the Pentagon may have overlooked a lawsuit that possibly prevented B-1 pilots at Dyess from engaging in adequate training. Ultimately, the BRAC Commission voted 8-1 to reverse the Pentagon's recommendation to close Ellsworth. {Link without Title} In June 2006 , in line with several of his Republican colleagues, Thune reaffirmed his strong support to amend the U.S. Constitution to ban Same Sex Marriage s. He is quoted on the matter, "The federal marriage amendment debate simply is an opportunity for us to affirm our support for marriage...It is an important debate to have in this country." {Link without Title} In a 2005 interview with Christianity Today , Thune added another reason for the invasion of Iraq beyond WMD s or alleged terrorist connections: "Liberating Iraq from decades of tyranny and dictatorship, bringing about political freedom, will create an atmosphere of where religious freedom will come to Iraq. And that opens the door, obviously, for the Christian faith there as well." {Link without Title} 2008 PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION John Thune has endorsed fellow Senator John McCain in his run for president. Thune has been mentioned as possible Vice-Presidential running mate in the 2008 election. CONTROVERSIES In June of 2006 it was reported that Thune had told the National Press Club that Republicans running for re-election are trying to distance themselves from President Bush. He is quoted as saying "If I were running in the state this year, you obviously don't embrace the president and his agenda,". {Link without Title} Thune's comments drew a round of criticism from Bush-loyalist pundits who felt that this amounted to desertion of the President. ELECTORAL HISTORY
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