John Randolph Thune (born January 7, 1961) is an American politician. Thune is the senior United States Senator from South Dakota and a member of the Republican Party. He used to be a United States Representative for South Dakota's at-large congressional district.
Thune was born on January 7, 1961 in Murdo, South Dakota. He is of Norwegian descent. Thune studied at Biola University and at the University of South Dakota. He has been married to Kimberley Weems since 1984. They have two children.
Thune was selected by the Senate Republican Conference to become the Majority Whip for the 116th Congress, replacing Senator John Cornyn of Texas, who was term limited in the position. In 2021, he became Senate Minority Whip.