New York Times story on Senators encouraging Senator Thune to give the US Senate race another go

The New York Times has an article posted this afternoon about Senator Thune weighing the possibility of becoming the next US Senate Majority Leader against not commuting to Washington:

Mr. Thune has said he will decide his intentions over the holidays. Yet a number of his friends and colleagues have become convinced that he is serious about leaving public life.

Among those alarmed is Mr. McConnell himself, who one adviser said had “leaned in” on pushing Mr. Thune to run again.

“I certainly hope that he will run for re-election, and that’s certainly what I and others have been encouraging him to do all year long,” Mr. McConnell said in an interview.

and..

Two top Senate Republican allies of Mr. Trump said he would probably refrain from targeting Mr. Thune simply because the senator, who is popular at home and has a well-stocked campaign war chest, is unlikely to lose a primary in the state that first elected him to Congress in 1996.

“He likes winners, and John Thune is a winner,” said Mr. Cramer, predicting that Mr. Trump would at most be “a nuisance” to Mr. Thune.

Read the entire story here.

This follows a story in the Argus Leader with more local speculation about him running again:

But Thune has built a reputation of getting things done for Republicans, even if it’s done quietly. In just the past few days, Republicans, with the help of Democrats Joe Manchin and Kyrsten Sinema, have blocked the Biden Administration’s Build Back Better legislation, a mammoth spending bill, as well as legislation that would have federalized state election laws. Perhaps no Republican is more responsible for these victories than Thune, who enjoys close personal relationships with both Manchin and Sinema.

The prospect of becoming a Senate leader is one reason why longtime Thune supporters are hoping he runs again.

“Somebody’s got to do it, and I think he’s the most qualified person in the country to do it,” Sioux Falls businessman Tom Everist said.

Read it here.

John Thune has been a consistent and thoughtful leader for the SDGOP’s for a number of years now, and I know I would certainly like to see him continue being our senior US Senator.  John is truly a good person, and I can appreciate that he’s having second thoughts about the back and forth.

I don’t for a moment believe there will be “bedlam” as Jon Ellis with the Argus predicts.. a somewhat silly assertion. If the Senator doesn’t run, there will be a number of people who step up. The first and most obvious choice would be Congressman Dusty Johnson, as he’s immediately equipped to pull the trigger on such a race.

I would venture the more fierce battle would be for Congress, with Taffy Howard, a primary candidate already in place who would now find herself facing a wider field of candidates ready to step up to the plate. I think there you might see state legislators, as well as candidates from outside the current political structure who want to take a run. Keep in mind that of our people in DC, only Mike Rounds was a State Legislator. John Thune was ED of the GOP and a former Senate Staffer for Abdnor. Dusty came from PUC and COS for Daugaard.

There’s a couple on my short list who I think have the connections and the personal charisma to move a Congressional race forward. But we’ll see.

I’m rooting for one more term for Senator Thune.