Sen. John Thune tells second graders says he won't run for president Sen. John Thune, R-S.D., is already putting to rest speculation that he could run for president in 2016. This week, the speculation came from a class of second graders in Sioux Falls, S.D, CBS affiliate KELO reports. Do I plan on running for president? Thune said, responding to a question from a student at Mark Twain Elementary, where Thune was visiting. I enjoy the job I have. And being the president is a very, very hard job. Thune gained notoriety after upsetting then-Senate Majority Leader Tom Daschle, D-S.D., in 2004. The 50-year-old, second-term senator generated buzz ahead of the 2012 election, when he was considering a presidential bid. However, he didn't develop the sort of national political organization that other GOP contenders established early on.