John Thune
Age: 50
Last held public office: U.S. Senator from South Dakota, 2005-present
With his good looks and reliably conservative voting record, John Thune seems like a natural choice to be a Republican presidential candidate. He's been on the radar of many conservative activists since his successful bid to knock off Democratic majority leader Tom Daschle for a Senate seat in 2004, and he gets along with the party establishment. Asked about Thune's prospects, minority leader Mitch McConnell called him a "very sharp, capable individual" who has "good leadership qualities."
Thune runs the risk of being seen as a cookie-cutter candidate with no characteristics or experiences that truly stand out. From his experience as a Senator, Thune has a paper trail of tough votes to explain should he run. His support for the 2008 Troubled Asset Relief Program is especially taboo in Tea Party circles. Grover Norquist, president of the conservative group Americans for Tax Relief, has said the Senator would have to denounce that vote if he were he serious about a 2012 bid.
Thune has mostly deflected questions about whether he's interested in running for President. He won re-election uncontested in 2010, and has a sizable campaign account for a Senator just beginning his second term. But he has taken few of the steps formally associated with building interest for a White House bid. In the Senate, he remains a member of the Republican leadership team and has several plum committee posts.
Representative quote: "The Obama experiment has failed."