RepublicanJohn Thune
U.S. Senator · South Dakota
U.S. Senator from South Dakota
6 tracked promises, 6 rated
South Dakota
Represents South Dakota statewide
How they won their seat
John R Thune won the 2022 U.S. Senate election in South Dakota with 69.6% of the vote (242,316 votes).
- John R Thune · Republican69.6%242,316
- Brian L Bengs · Democrat26.1%91,007
- Tamara J Lesnar · Libertarian4.2%14,697
Certified results. Source: MIT Election Data + Science Lab (MEDSL) ↗. A plurality winner can hold under 50% when more than two candidates run.
Inferred legislative agendas
John Thune's record shows a concentration on issues related to agriculture, energy, and telecommunications. He has sponsored multiple bills aimed at enhancing broadband access, such as the Accelerating Broadband Permits Act, and has focused on agricultural policies, including the Fertilizer Transparency Act and the CRP Improvement and Flexibility Act. Additionally, his committee memberships reflect engagement with finance, commerce, and agriculture. Focus areas (from the record): Agriculture · Energy · Telecommunications · Finance · Immigration Alignment with declared positions: Mixed. Thune has sponsored bills related to agriculture and energy, including those focused on broadband access and agricultural policies. However, there is no direct evidence linking these actions to his declared positions or tracked promises. What this can't tell you: The record does not reveal the effectiveness of the sponsored bills; There is no information on the impact of his committee work; No statements are available to provide insight into his public communication or rationale behind his positions. Confidence: moderate (based on the volume of verified record on file).
Inferred, not stated. John Thune has not necessarily stated these as goals. This is an AI-generated, nonpartisan reading of the patterns in their verified record — sponsored legislation, committee work, roll-call votes, and campaign-finance composition — and how those patterns compare to any declared positions and tracked promises. It describes what the record emphasizes, never imputes motive, and is run through an adversarial review pass that scrubs bias, loaded language, and any claim the evidence doesn’t support. It is not a quote, a claim they made, or a rating; every underlying item is sourced in the verified record below; and it never affects the Integrity Score.
Showing 2018. Every tile and chart below reflects this window; some record types (e.g. roll-call votes) only have data for recent years.
Activity in office
What John Thune has actually done in office — sourced from official roll-call and government records, shown in full below. These are facts, separate from tracked promises and never folded into any score.
- Bills sponsored
- 22
Roll-call data last updated July 20, 2026 · source: Voteview.
Bills sponsored over time
Bills sponsored per year, stacked by outcome (latest action). Outcome data covers the 118th–119th Congresses; earlier years show as “awaiting status” until enriched. Source: Congress.gov.
Bill success rate
Bills SPONSORED in the 118th–119th Congresses, by their latest action. Source: Congress.gov.
Campaign finance over time
- Small-dollar (unitemized)$00%
- Large individual (itemized)$00%
- PAC / committee$1.3M100%
By election cycle. Source: FEC.
Committee memberships
- Member, Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and ForestryOn record since Jan 2025Member
- Member, Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry — Commodities, Derivatives, Risk Management, and TradeOn record since Jan 2025Member
- Member, Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry — Conservation, Forestry, Natural Resources, and BiotechnologyOn record since Jan 2025Member
- Member, Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry — Livestock, Dairy, Poultry, and Food SafetyOn record since Jan 2025Member
- Member, Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and TransportationOn record since Jan 2025Member
- Member, Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation — Aviation, Space, and InnovationOn record since Jan 2025Member
- Member, Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation — Telecommunications and MediaOn record since Jan 2025Member
- Member, Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation — Consumer Protection, Technology, and Data PrivacyOn record since Jan 2025Member
- Member, Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation — Surface Transportation, Freight, Pipelines, and SafetyOn record since Jan 2025Member
- Member, Senate Committee on FinanceOn record since Jan 2025Member
- Member, Senate Committee on Finance — Health CareOn record since Jan 2025Member
- Member, Senate Committee on Finance — International Trade, Customs, and Global CompetitivenessOn record since Jan 2025Member
- Member, Senate Committee on Finance — Taxation and IRS OversightOn record since Jan 2025Member
- Ex Officio, Senate Select Committee on IntelligenceOn record since Jan 2025Member
Source: Congress.gov.
Integrity
Promises kept vs. worked against — weighted breakdown+66 · based on 6 rated promises
- Attempted 2
- Partial 1
- Championed 1
- Fully Kept 2
Teal segments are promises kept; amber and stone segments are promises worked against. The signed score weights each rated promise by significance and evidence confidence. Promise-keeping is shown separately from popularity, finance, disclosure, and stated positions. Methodology is open.
Integrity over time
In office since Jan 2017 · 6 rated promisesEach step is a real change in the sourced record — the score holds between assessments.
Promise status over time
How the tracked promise record has evolved.
- Kept6
- Against0
- No opportunity0
- In progress0
Replayed from this official’s sourced assessment history — the bands step only when an assessment is recorded or changed. Based on the most recent roll-call votes on file and the tracked promise assessments; never interpolated.
Topic coverage
6 promises across 5 topicsWhat this record covers — the number of tracked promises per topic. This is coverage, not a verdict; the kept/against shading within each bar mirrors the Integrity breakdown above.
- Economy, Taxes & Inflation2
- Abortion & Reproductive Policy1
- Agriculture & Energy1
- Energy1
- Immigration & Border Security1
Evidence & significance
Evidence quality
Strongest source cited per promise.
- Primary (official record)6100%
Significance mix
How weighty the tracked promises are (1 = minor, 5 = defining).
Significance weights each promise in the Integrity Score.
6 tracked promises
“Make the 2017 Tax Cuts and Jobs Act tax relief permanent and prevent scheduled tax increases on hardworking families and small businesses.”
“Secure the southern border through strong immigration enforcement -- invest in the border, stop asylum abuse, and crack down on cartels and traffickers.”
“Restore the year-round, nationwide sale of E15 and higher ethanol blends to leverage American agriculture and give fuel retailers seasonal certainty.”
“Advance pro-life protections, including support for a national limit on abortion after 15 weeks and safeguards for unborn and born-alive children.”
“Fight back against Democrats' tax-and-spend agenda and oppose the Inflation Reduction Act's tax hikes.”
“Pursue an 'all-of-the-above' American energy-independence policy that fast-tracks environmentally responsible domestic oil and gas production and reduces reliance on foreign energy.”
Verified record
511 sponsored bills · finance on fileFacts imported directly from official government sources — shown separately from tracked promises and never folded into the Integrity Score. Each entry links to its primary source.
FEC 2026 cycle — raised $7,623,908, spent $7,174,494, cash on hand $0.
View the FEC filing ↗Sponsored legislation
- Sponsored S 5015: A bill to require the Federal Communications Commission to review and evaluate the processes for updating maps that depict the extent of the availability of broadband internet access service in the United States, and for other purposes. ↗Jul 16, 2026
- Sponsored SRES 745: A resolution to authorize production of records to the United States Attorney. ↗May 20, 2026
- Sponsored S 4448: Accelerating Broadband Permits Act of 2026 ↗Apr 30, 2026
- Sponsored SRES 690: An executive resolution authorizing the en bloc consideration in Executive Session of certain nominations on the Executive Calendar. ↗Apr 27, 2026
- Sponsored SRES 664: A resolution to constitute the majority party's membership on certain committees for the One Hundred Nineteenth Congress, or until their successors are chosen. ↗Mar 27, 2026
- Sponsored S 4152: Fertilizer Transparency Act of 2026 ↗Mar 19, 2026
- Sponsored SRES 609: A resolution to authorize testimony and representation in United States v. Crouse. ↗Feb 12, 2026
- Sponsored S 3725: Lewis & Clark Regional Water System Expansion Feasibility Study Act ↗Jan 29, 2026
- Sponsored S 3723: Western South Dakota Water Supply Project Feasibility Study Act ↗Jan 29, 2026
- Sponsored S 3543: Trade Cheating Restitution Act of 2025 ↗Dec 17, 2025
- Sponsored SRES 532: An executive resolution authorizing the en bloc consideration in Executive Session of certain nominations on the Executive Calendar. ↗Dec 4, 2025
- Sponsored SRES 520: An executive resolution authorizing the en bloc consideration in Executive Session of certain nominations on the Executive Calendar. ↗Dec 1, 2025
Showing the 12 most recent of 511 sponsored measures.
Voting record
- Total votes
- 858
- Yea
- 617
- Nay
- 240
- Present
- 0
- Not voting
- 1
Full voting record
858 votes- SJRES198Nay
- PN8518Yea
- PN9304Yea
- PN9304Yea
- S4784Nay
- PN9382Yea
- PN9303Yea
- SJRES185Nay
- PN9382Yea
- SJRES196Nay
- PN9303Yea
- PN9302Yea
- PN9302Yea
- PN9307Yea
- PN9307Yea
- HCONRES86Nay
- PN8593Yea
- HR6644Yea
- PN73033Yea
- HR6644Yea
Roll-call votes, 119th Congress. Source: Voteview (voteview.com). Click any vote to verify it independently.
Stated positions
5 positions on recordWhat this official says they believe — sourced claims, shown distinctly from tracked promises and from any assessment of what they did. A stated position is never scored and never affects the Integrity Score.
- Economy, Taxes & InflationStated position
Make the 2017 Tax Cuts and Jobs Act tax relief permanent and prevent scheduled tax increases on hardworking families and small businesses.
Sourceshttps://www.senate.gov/legislative/LIS/roll_call_votes/vote1191/vote_119_1_00372.htmhttps://www.thune.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/2022/12/thune-south-dakotans-deserve-permanent-tax-reliefhttps://taxfoundation.org/research/all/federal/big-beautiful-bill-senate-gop-tax-plan/https://www.thune.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/2022/8/thune-democrats-disastrous-spending-bill-is-chock-full-of-tax-hikes-radical-energy-policieshttps://www.senate.gov/legislative/LIS/roll_call_votes/vote1172/vote_117_2_00325.htmView position & sources → - Agriculture & EnergyStated position
Restore the year-round, nationwide sale of E15 and higher ethanol blends to leverage American agriculture and give fuel retailers seasonal certainty.
Sourceshttps://www.govinfo.gov/app/details/BILLS-118s2707ishttps://www.kotatv.com/2026/05/26/year-round-ethanol-blend-bill-passed-by-us-house-faces-uncertain-senate-path/https://www.thune.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/2022/11/thune-introduces-bipartisan-bill-to-allow-year-round-e15-saleshttps://www.thune.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/2022/3/thune-energy-independence-is-a-matter-of-national-securityView position & sources → - Abortion & Reproductive PolicyStated position
Advance pro-life protections, including support for a national limit on abortion after 15 weeks and safeguards for unborn and born-alive children.
Sourceshttps://www.cnn.com/2022/09/13/politics/lindsey-graham-abortion-15-week-ban/index.htmlhttps://www.thune.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/2024/6/democrats-block-thune-s-born-alive-abortion-survivors-protection-actView position & sources → - Immigration & Border SecurityStated position
Secure the southern border through strong immigration enforcement -- invest in the border, stop asylum abuse, and crack down on cartels and traffickers.
Sourceshttps://www.thune.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/2025/1/thune-republicans-won-t-allow-democrats-to-stonewall-laken-riley-acthttps://www.thune.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/immigrationhttps://www.npr.org/2025/01/22/nx-s1-5253926/congress-laken-riley-actView position & sources → - EnergyStated position
Pursue an 'all-of-the-above' American energy-independence policy that fast-tracks environmentally responsible domestic oil and gas production and reduces reliance on foreign energy.
Sourceshttps://www.thune.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/2022/3/thune-energy-independence-is-a-matter-of-national-securityhttps://www.senate.gov/legislative/LIS/roll_call_votes/vote1191/vote_119_1_00372.htmhttps://www.doi.gov/pressreleases/interior-department-advances-energy-dominance-through-one-big-beautiful-bill-actView position & sources →
Disclosure
A separate measure from the promise scorecard above. It tracks confirmed cases where this official has acted on or championed an issue that already existed when they ran, but which they did not disclose as a priority in their campaign. Each case meets a high evidence bar — three independent sources — and the score is shown alongside the Integrity Score, never merged into it. How this is measured.
No undisclosed priorities on record. This is not a clean-audit claim — it means none have been confirmed for this official.
Office context & community edits
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