John
Thune

Who they are, where they came from

John Thune is a Republican U.S. Senator from South Dakota who has served in the Senate since January 2005, having previously represented South Dakota's at-large congressional district in the House. As of January 2025, he serves as Senate Majority Leader and Senate Republican Leader. In the 119th Congress, Thune has sponsored legislation spanning federal tax policy, agriculture, rural health care, and public lands. He sponsored the Death Tax Repeal Act of 2025 (S.587), which would eliminate the federal estate tax, and the American Beef Labeling Act of 2025 (S.421), which addresses country-of-origin labeling requirements for beef. On agricultural infrastructure, he sponsored the Livestock Disaster Assistance Improvement Act of 2025 (S.904) and the Strengthening Local Processing Act of 2025 (S.1509). His sponsored legislation also addresses South Dakota's physical landscape: the Western South Dakota Water Supply Project Feasibility Study Act (S.3723) and the American Prairie Conservation Act (S.1209) address water infrastructure and grassland conservation respectively. On health and wellness, Thune sponsored the PHIT Act of 2025 (S.1144), which relates to tax treatment of physical activity expenses, and the Equitable Community Access to Pharmacist Services Act (S.2426), which concerns pharmacist reimbursement under federal programs. Additional sponsored bills address forest management (S.449), broadband permitting (S.866), administrative paperwork (S.3227), and precision agriculture technology (S.507). Thune also introduced amendments in the 119th Congress, including SAMDT.4790, which was agreed to in the Senate by voice vote.

What they’ve done lately

Where the campaign funds come from

Thune raised $3.5M this cycle, with 49.9% of receipts from other sources, 31.2% from individuals, and 19.0% from PACs. The largest PAC contributors were Thune Victory Committee at $400,846, One Team Senate Majority at $46,475, and Tillis and Colleagues Victory Committee at $33,135, alongside corporate PACs including Mortgage Bankers Association PAC, Charter Communications Inc PAC, and ConocoPhillips Spirit PAC. Top employer concentrations include DaVita, BNSF Railway, and Beasley Media Group. Outside spending totaled $618K supporting Thune, with NRA Political Victory Fund ($396K), Ave Maria List PAC ($113K), and National Right to Life Political Action Committee ($59K) as the top independent spenders; no notable outside spending opposed him.