Thune Mulls Retirement

Thune Mulls Retirement

South Dakota political candidates are revving into full campaign mode this week with one big exception: Republican Senator John Thune.

For several months, Thune has delayed a reelection announcement as he considers retirement.

Thune, a longtime fixture as the state GOP’s elder statesman and a likely pick to be the next Senate GOP leader, had indicated he would make a reelection decision over the holidays. However, that has not happened yet…

Thune’s hesitancy has provided South Dakotans further evidence of how serious he is about retiring — a potential development that would upend national GOP politics and create a scramble among South Dakota Republicans to fill the void.

Thune, who will turn 61 on Friday, has indicated that his wife would like him to retire.