Politics | John Thune John Thune Won't Run for President South Dakota senator says he'll keep his day job By John Johnson Posted Feb 22, 2011 12:37 PM CST Copied Sen. John Thune, R-S.D., speaks at the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) in Washington, Friday, Feb. 11, 2011. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon) The 2012 crop of GOP presidential candidates got a little smaller today: South Dakota Sen. John Thune announced on Facebook that he's not running. After "lots of prayer," he decided that he'll stay put and "fight for America’s future here in the trenches of the United States Senate." Thune—who defeated then-Democratic Majority Leader Tom Daschle in 2004—had never been among the presidential front-runners, and his Senate career is getting more promising, reports Politico. The conservative scored a spot on the influential Finance Committee earlier this month. Read These Next An 11-year-old died from a snake bite. His dad thought he was drunk. A well-known nutrition influencer died after a home birth. Knock on cockpit door triggers emergency landing. A young chess grandmaster has died unexpectedly. Report an error