Thune in 2012?

[sentinel]

I really feel like Thune will run in 2012. He use his conservative principles, values and he can relate to people as a "regular guy".

I think he may run. Anyone else?

[sentinel]

Nice post, I was just discussing with someone about him, and was on his Senate page an hour ago.
I think he could run a good campaign, if he gets more name recognation. He's charasmatic and attractive, and has a solid conservative record. However, he doesn't come across as a wacko conservative like some. With a more moderate person as his VP (Gregg, Lingle, Hutchison, Pataki) he could do pretty well against Obama.

As to your question, I also think he'll run, but mainly to set himself up to be nominated for VP and/or 2016.

He was elected at the same time as Obama was and the interview said he is a "giant killer" or something since he took down Tom Daschle. I think he could definitely run and do well in 2012, but I'd think he'd do better in 2016.

[sentinel]

Modern campaigns are now done by air, so being near a major air hub (O'Hare International Airport is about as big as there is) is a huge advantage for the President and his staff -- and the efficiency and co-ordination of staff are both essential to an effective campaign. Such may matter less for a VP candidate who doesn't have much control of the logistics of campaigning for anyone but himself.  The state now matters less than does proximity to an air hub; Obama could almost as easily have campaigned from Gary, Indiana as from Chicago -- but not from Champaign, Illinois. Gary is a post-industrial dump and Champaign is a nice college town, but one is 30 miles from O'Hare International Airport, and the other is about 150 miles away. Airline connections remain treacherous.

Something tells me that in all the conversations McCain and Obama had with their respective staffs over who to pick as their running mates, the issue of "proximity to a major air hub" didn't come up once.  Same probably goes for every other presidential nominee in the past half century.

I agree. I don't think people make decisions to run based on "hey, am I near a major airport?"

I think Thune could keep the Dakota's red during an election, but I really don't see the Dakota's being blue anytime soon...unless Obama's approvals are sky high when he runs for re-election.

[sentinel]

The New York Times had an opinion article about Thune today...so he is gaining some national media attention for not being a nutjob.