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Sen. Thune speaks on priorities as newly-elected Senate majority leader

South Dakota US Senator John Thune has been elected the majority leader of the Senate. Leading his national caucus, Thune now joins other South Dakota politicians to have held some of the most powerful roles in DC.

The senior Senator from South Dakota has long been a stalwart of Republican values in DC, and now he leads a sharply divided capitol into the foreseeable future.

Thune said those strong conservative priorities will remain.

“I will remain focused on addressing issues that matter the most to our state and nation, like securing our southern border and improving our energy security, extending tax cuts, and obviously prioritizing the Farm Bill," Thune said. "It’s clear this team is united and ready to get to work, and I’m looking forward to hitting the ground running with President Trump and our Senate Republican majority.”

That relationship with the President-elect has proven contentious before though. Thune said what’s in the past will remain there.

“President Trump and I have a good working relationship, we speak regularly, in fact we talked earlier today," Thune said. "I’m looking forward to working with him to achieve as much as possible and ensure he the right people in place to enact his agenda, and that focus is clearly on the future. Obviously, we have a ton of work to do, and I’ll look forward to rolling up my sleeves and working with him to deliver on the mandate he got from the American people, and certainly from the voters of South Dakota.”

That includes appointments in front of the Senate.

“There are in my view, way too many," Thune said. "I frankly am one who could see being for reforming that in a way that perhaps reduces that number overall. Then, just ensuring they’re being dealt with in a timely way. If Democrats try to obstruct or block, I think we have to be prepared to deal with it.”

Thune will officially take on the role after Kentucky Senator Mitch McConnel steps down at the end of the current term.

Thune’s victory and the announcement of Governor Kristi Noem as secretary of the Department of Homeland Security represents a major shift for state politics. Though Thune will remain in his role as a Senator.

In a statement, Thune wrote “I am extremely honored to have earned the support of my colleagues to lead the Senate in the 119th congress, and I am beyond proud of the work we have done to secure our majority in the White House. This Republican team is united behind President Trumps agenda and our works starts today.”

Thune won on a vote of 29-24 against Sens. John Cornyn and Rick Scott of Texas and Florida respectively. Comparatively, Thune represents a more moderate choice compared to a staunch Trump ally in Scott.

In turn, Thune is seen as an institutional Republican rather than a firm ally of Trump. He condemned rioters at the January 6th insurrection attempt and battled the President-elect’s attempt to overturn the 2020 Presidential election results.

Thune was seen as a favorite in the race considering his position as the Senate Republican whip, the second-highest role in the party and an important role in internal party matters. He’s served in the Senate since 2005 and as party whip since 2019.

The 63-year-old replaces retiring Kentucky Republican Sen. Mitch McConnell in the role. McConnell held the job for the last 18 years.

Republicans will hold a majority in the Senate of 52 seats and will hold any necessary tiebreaking votes with the Vice Presidency, while also on track to retain their majority in the House of Representatives.

C.J. Keene is a Rapid City-based journalist covering the legal system, education, and culture