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 Statement from John and Kimberley Thune Posted: February 22nd 2011 For months now, my wife Kimberley and I have received encouragement from family, friends, colleagues, and supporters from across South Dakota and the country to run for the presidency of the United States. Text Size - 
 
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 reset VIDEO: Thune at CPAC VIDEO: Thune on 2012- Sept. '10 POLITICO 44 
 
 "I feel that I am best positioned to fight for America’s future here in the trenches of the United States Senate," he said.
– 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.