By Stephen J. Boitano, GANNETTSen. John Thune, R-S.D., speaks with high school students during their visit to the Capitol Thursday.
By Stephen J. Boitano, GANNETTSen. John Thune, R-S.D., speaks with high school students during their visit to the Capitol Thursday.
Now in his second term in the Senate, what happens in the coming months could give the onetime high school basketball star from Murdo a title everyone would recognize. For instance:• How does Vice President Thune sound? If Mitt Romney likes it — and some say he might — then Thune could follow in the footsteps of Joe Biden, Dick Cheney and Al Gore.• What about Senate Majority Leader Thune? The man Thune beat in 2004, Tom Daschle, once held this position. And while Thune might be years away from following suit, he could be just one step away by Christmas.• And either path, or others entirely, could set the stage for Thune to capture the most significant title of them all: Mr. President.Or maybe not. There's plenty of competition among other talented politicians for all these positions.Nevertheless, Thune's political talents have helped him him rise from a conservative hero after defeating Daschle, through a series of leadership roles in the Senate, to flirtation with a presidential run last year. Now, after building strong relationships with both his Senate peers and Romney, whom Thune endorsed early on in this campaign, the South Dakotan is at a crossroads with multiple paths leading to national prominence.For his part, Thune insists he's taking things day by day and not pursuing the job of vice president or anything else. But unlike some politicians, Thune hasn't ruled anything out, either."I made a decision that the difference I can make is in the Senate, but I don't think you ever rule out options and opportunities to serve your country," Thune said Friday in Sioux Falls. "I'm not ever going to close the door if an opportunity to serve my country comes along."The most immediate possibility is that Thune could be the Republican nominee for vice president. Coming from a small, safely Republican state such as South Dakota, no one's calling Thune a favorite. But experts say he's in the conversation."I'd say he's a long shot to be the nominee, but then look at the history of vice presidential candidates. Quite a number of long shots have been picked," said Larry Sabato, director of the University of Virginia Center for Politics. "Anything can happen."Robert Costa, a reporter with the conservative National Review magazine, has covered Thune and Republican politics for several years. He's talked to Romney advisers who say Thune might be just what the former Massachusetts governor needs in a running mate."From everything I hear, Romney wants to pick someone who's low-key, respected, has Washington experience and comes from the Midwest," Costa said — all factors, he added, that apply to Thune.Others considered to be on Romney's short list: Sens. Marco Rubio, Fla., and Rob Portman, Ohio; Rep. Paul Ryan, Wis., and N.J. Gov. Chris Christie.Thune's background and experience aren't the only assets he might bring to a national ticket. He seems to be a political natural, said Jon Schaff, a professor of political science at Northern State University in Aberdeen. He easily relates to people and speaks well extemporaneously.Thune's style of speaking, in particular, could make him a valuable asset on the campaign trail."He's very comfortable about bringing the Republican message … in a way that isn't ham-fisted," Schaff said. "He's got a way of speaking that people who weren't necessarily with the Republican Party will listen to Thune and give him the time of day, because he can present his arguments in a way that appear to be non-ideological."Thune's not a "fire and brimstone" Republican like Reps. Michele Bachmann and Allen West, Schaff said.But not everyone agrees with that, or about Thune's strengths as a communicator who can appeal to moderates."John Thune, by his nature and by the positions he's taken, he's not the one you go to to look for solutions," said Ben Nesselhuf, chairman of the South Dakota Democratic Party. "He's one you go to to look for the Republican position and talking points. He doesn't know what the word compromise means."Nesselhuf said he would advise national Democrats to attack Thune for his Washington ties."I think most South Dakotans would agree that's what's wrong with Washington -- too many people unwilling to look for solutions," he said.Indeed, Thune's Washington experience might be both an asset and a liability, Costa said."In an anti-Washington climate … there's a sense from many voters of 'throw them all out.' Thune's Washington experience, though helpful to a president, could be a drawback to voters who might like to see more outsiders in Washington," Costa said.Thune disputes Nesselhuf's charge that he doesn't compromise, citing his work with Democratic senators on legislation dealing with agriculture, trade, transportation and others."Yes, I'm very principled when it comes to my party and the things I believe in, but I also understand that I'm elected to get things done," Thune said. "I don't ever look at compromising my values and my principles, but I certainly on a tactical level understand that you need to work with people who have a different point of view … find common ground and consensus."Sen. Max Baucus, D-Mont., praised Thune as someone he can work with even though they come from different political backgrounds."We're dealing with a tough economy and a jobs shortage, and even if we don't always agree, John wants to work together to overcome our nation's challenges," Baucus said in an e-mailed statement.One of Thune's biggest strengths as a potential vice presidential pick could be something that others might call a weakness: He's not very exciting. After the last Republican vice presidential pick, then-Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin, became controversial, Schaff said Romney might want to pick a less contentious running mate."Picking your vice presidential candidate, you take a Hippocratic Oath: First, do no harm," Schaff said.With considerable numbers of Americans unhappy with President Barack Obama's handling of the economy, Sabato said, many Republicans think they should pick noncontroversial candidates who will keep the focus on Obama rather than distracting attention with their own antics."Thune is not controversial," Sabato said. "He's seen as acceptable, if bland."When told that some people describe him as something less than exciting, Thune laughed."I never really think of myself as bland, but I guess it's maybe that Scandanavian heritage," Thune said. "I don't ever think that necessarily bland is a bad thing. I suppose I wish I were more exciting, but sometimes you are who you are, and you have to be comfortable with that and not try to be something you aren't."There still are plenty of factors weighing against Thune's chances of being Romney's running mate. Many other potential candidates can bring Thune's strengths to the ticket, plus represent bigger or more closely divided states."In what looks to be a close election, Romney is likely to pick someone who brings a little more electorally to the table," Schaff said.That makes sense to some political observers, who say the more likely route to power for Thune is in his current job of senator."Politically speaking, I think Thune has a much better chance of being one day Senate majority leader than president of the United States," Costa said.Thune currently is the chairman of the Senate Republican Conference. It's the third-highest position among Senate Republicans, behind only the majority or minority leader and the whip or assistant floor leader.The No. 2 spot of Senate Minority Whip Jon Kyl, R-Ariz., is opening up this fall. Thune is one of a handful of senators who might have the support it would take to move up.Thune's climb up the leadership ladder started in 2006, about a year after he took office. That's when he was appointed chief deputy whip, an assistant to the No. 2-ranked party leader.By taking a leadership position, Thune made a choice that he could get more done as part of Senate leadership than by trying to become the chair of a powerful committee -- the two traditional paths senators can take as they accumulate seniority and influence in the Senate."I'm sure what John Thune thinks it means with constituents is he's able to bring their issues to the highest level in the party," Schaff said. "A potential side effect, of course, that we saw with Tom Daschle is the further you move up leadership, the more you're responding to the national needs of the party and not so much the local needs of your constituency."Sabato predicted Thune's popularity in South Dakota could give him the longevity needed to rise to the top of the Senate, presuming he doesn't leave Congress for another position."He's relatively young in Senate terms," Sabato said. "With the electoral security he has in South Dakota, he could be there for as long as he wants."And while some powerful South Dakota senators have suffered defeat after being seen to care more about Washington, D.C., than their home state, Schaff said Thune has taken care to protect against that. "He's been a fairly constant presence back in the state," Schaff said. "He hasn't let the state go."Thune's friends and family say he hasn't let his South Dakota roots go, either."I think he's the same person he always was," said Frank Brost, who was living in and near Murdo as Thune was growing up there, and later worked with him in Pierre under Gov. George S. Mickelson. "If there's any person Washington can't screw up, it's John Thune."If selected as Romney's vice presidential candidate, Thune said he would present himself to the country as a principled man who hasn't strayed from his South Dakota upringing."I try to be authentic and very much a down-to-earth person," Thune said. "I don't think I've ever gotten away from my roots."Critics point to Thune's rapid rise to prominence in Washington and say that reflects ambition rather than "down-to-earth.""He's definitely trying to create a national name for himself," Nesselhuf said. "I think anybody who's watched his career would say that from day one, that's the way he operates — looking for the next step up."Thune, in contrast, said he's not looking for anything other than opportunities to serve the country. "Growing up I never thought I'd be doing any of this in the first place."Despite that the next few years could put Thune in a position to take the biggest step up a politician can make. Last year he stayed out of the race for president when he decided he wasn't ready to make that huge commitment. At the time, he said he wanted to focus on his work in the Senate. But his presidential dreams might not be finished. He still will be young enough to run for president in 2016, 2020 and possibly beyond.The events of the coming months could give him a head start if he still aspires to the Oval Office."If Thune is picked, and Romney loses, it would make Thune an automatic contender for the nomination in 2016," Costa said. "Even if he's not picked, you're going to still hear about Thune in the 2016 conversation if Romney loses."Sabato cautioned that a future run for president could be tough for Thune."Everybody and his brother and sister will be running if Romney loses," he said.For more information about reprints & permissions, visit our FAQ's. To report corrections and clarifications, contact Standards Editor Brent Jones. For publication consideration in the newspaper, send comments to letters@usatoday.com. Include name, phone number, city and state for verification. To view our corrections, go to corrections.usatoday.com.