South Dakota Senator John Thune will move into the No. 2 spot, Majority Whip, in Republican leadership when the 116th session of the United States Senate starts in January– making him the second most powerful Senator South Dakota has ever had in Washington, DC.
Democratic Sen. Tom Daschle served as the Majority Leader from June 2001-Dec. 2003. He then served as minority leader from 2003-2005. Thune defeated Daschle 51 percent to 49 percent in the 2004 Senate race.
Current Senate GOP whip Sen. John Cornyn of Texas is being forced out by term limits, allowing Sen. Thune to move up to majority whip spot. Majority Leader Mitch McConnell has been reelected to another term as the Republican leader.
Senate Democrats are keeping their team headed by Minority Leader Chuck Schumer. Sen. Dick Durbin of Illinois was re-elected as minority whip, the No. 2 Democrat in the Senate.
Thune ran unopposed for the majority whip position and will move up from his current spot as chairman of the Senate Republican Conference, which oversees message coordination for the caucus.
Thune currently serves on the Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry Committee and the Finance Committee, and he serves as chairman of the Commerce, Science, and Transportation Committee.
(Dakota Radio Group)