John Thune made the cover of National Journal for an article entitled "Reason to Smile." Excerpt:
It's Election Day 2016, and political handicappers are predicting a close presidential race. Who's facing off? Two senators, Democrat Barack Obama of Illinois and Republican John Thune of South Dakota. Unlike most senators who flame out while pursuing the presidency, they've actually used their perches in the World's Greatest Deliberative Body as effective springboards to the national political stage.
Sound far-fetched? Perhaps not. After serving just over a year in the Senate, Obama and Thune have "rising star" written all over them. Sure, politics is unpredictable. The rapid ascents of "can't-miss" luminaries sometimes veer off track. But these two freshmen have not only avoided serious gaffes since their election in 2004, they've also managed to make a splash on Capitol Hill and are poised to generate even more waves.
Already, the political cognoscenti are buzzing about both men as potential White House contenders. When National Journal polled its Congressional and Political Insiders -- more than 180 lawmakers and operatives -- in November on which political figures have the most potential to be president in 20 years, Obama was the overwhelming favorite on the Democratic side. Among Republicans, Thune was tied for second with U.S. Trade Representative Rob Portman, a former House member from Ohio. They were just a tad behind George P. Bush, President Bush's nephew (although "Don't Know" led the GOP pack).
Such talk is heady stuff for two relatively young men, both born in 1961, even if they did arrive in the Senate amid sky-high expectations. Obama, only the third African-American elected to the chamber since Reconstruction, already was something of a celebrity before he came to Washington. His keynote address at the 2004 Democratic National Convention drew raves and instantly made him a national figure. A few months later, he won his Senate seat in a romp, receiving 70 percent of the vote.
Thune, meanwhile, arrived on the Hill as a "giant killer" after defeating Senate Minority Leader Tom Daschle, the Democrat whom Republicans derided as the "obstructionist-in-chief." Thune's victory, which made him an icon in GOP circles, was all the more remarkable because it was the first time that a Senate party leader had been toppled in 52 years.
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