This is good news. Conservative Senator John Thune (R-D) is talking about a possible presidential run.
The Politico reported:
Sen. John Thune (R-S.D.), the “Daschle slayer” who beat the Senate Democratic leader in 2004, is ramping up plans for a presidential run in 2012, associates say.
Thune, 49, spoke candidly about his plans for a cover story in The Weekly Standard – priceless exposure for an ambitious conservative. Senior editor Stephen F. Hayes writes that Thune “is likely to run for president in 2012.”
“Thune allows that he’s thinking about it seriously enough that he’s gamed out his ‘pathway to get there,’ calculated the amount of money it would take to be competitive in early primaries, and even thought about the timing of an announcement,” Hayes writes in “DAKOTA DREAMING: The Presidential Ambitions of John Thune.”
“He thinks his family would be on board. ‘I’m taking a very full look at it,’ he says. And why not. The Republican field is wide open. And Obama is vulnerable.”
Thune gets a high-level endorsement, from Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.)
“I think he’s the complete package and is the kind of person who could conceivably go the distance in a race for the presidency,” McConnell told Hayes. “I think he’s an extraordinary talent, and I hope that he will run and win.’”Hayes adds that Thune faces “many obstacles”: “He has virtually no national profile. He worked briefly as a lobbyist. He voted for TARP. He is a defender of earmarks. He would be running against Washington from Washington. … Despite his proximity to those who craft the Republican agenda, Thune does not have a signature issue—something Thune skeptics point to as a liability for a potential presidential candidate.”
And, he’s authentic.
Tim Thune, left, and brother John, the senator, stop for a photograph Saturday with Tim’s golden retrievers during an opening day hunt on the Jerry Rubendall place near Artesian. (Photo courtesy of Jon Lauck, who also runs a golden retriever when he’s not working as a senior adviser to Thune.)
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