John Thune âon the list' for Romney's veep pick In an interview with National Review's Robert Costa, Mitt Romney surrogate John H. Sununu left the door open for South Dakota Sen. John Thune's chances of being picked for vice president. "There's no question, in my mind, that he's on the list for consideration," Sununu, a former governor of New Hampshire, said. Thune, who is a junior senator and a member of the Republican leadership team in the Senate, briefly entertained the idea of running for president himself last year, but made his decision to stay out of the race clear early. Thune told Costa that if chosen, he is prepared to be vetted. "My life is an open book," he said. I've run for office many times and everything that can be out there is out there. I'm not apprehensive about somebody taking a look.