Thune Endorses McCain

In several places, including the McCain related Iowa political blog "Straight Talk, Iowa Style," it's being mentioned that South Dakota Senator John Thune is endorsing John McCain for the presidency:

Our neighbor to the Northwest, Senator John Thune, from South Dakota has formally endorsed McCain's Presidential bid. Being familiar with Northwest Iowa, STIS has had it eyes on this relationship for a while. Months ago we speculated that Thune might be on McCain's short list of Veep choices.

And while it is unlikely that two sitting Senators would be on the ticket, McCain refused to distance himself from that line of speculation. In fact, McCain mentioned Thune as a possible running mate. (While this is premature speculation, STIS thinks it is good bet that McCain will pick someone from the Midwest or Northeast, Pawlenty or Guiliani, etc...).

Thune's support for McCain is a huge "get." Thune, long considered a shining star in the GOP, became a dragon slayer after beating Tom Daschle in 2004. The only other Republican to beat a sitting United States Senate Majority Leader was Barry Goldwater. Thune, who as a Congressman, was quick to endorse George W. Bush for the Presidency in 1999. If memory serves us right Thune was the very first or one of the first five to endorse Bush. Thune's strategy of quickly endorsing Presidential nominees seems to have paid off during his career.

This endorsement is particularly important for several reasons:

First, according to WAPO, Thune, "extracted a promise from the Arizonan on judicial nominations. Thune said McCain told him he would appoint "guys like Roberts and Alito". That's a reference to Chief Justice John Roberts and Supreme Court Justice Samuel Alito, both of whom were nominated by President Bush and were popular selections among Christian conservatives.

Read it all here.