Sen. John Thune encourages Republicans to focus on issues if they want to win

SALT LAKE CITY — Sen. John Thune said Republicans need to "focus on the issues" in the 2024 election if they want to win the presidency and control of the Senate.

Thune, the Senate Republican whip, made the comments in Salt Lake City on Wednesday, where he received the Titan of Public Service Award from the Orrin G. Hatch Foundation. Thune served with the late senator for years, and he called Hatch one of the Senate's most effective lawmakers.

Last year's award winner was Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, who Thune hopes to replace as leader of the Republican conference when McConnell steps down in a few months. Besides Thune, Sen. John Cornyn, of Texas, and Sen. Rick Scott, of Florida, are in the running for the leadership role.

Thune was introduced Wednesday by Rep. John Curtis, who is the Republican nominee for the Senate seat being vacated by Sen. Mitt Romney. Curtis has not yet said who he'll support if he wins the Senate seat, which is considered a safe Republican seat.

Another of Thune and Hatch's Senate colleagues, former Oregon Republican Sen. Gordon Smith, engaged the South Dakota senator in a center-stage, back-and-forth conversation before lawmakers, business leaders and other distinguished community members gathered in the ballroom of the Grand America in Salt Lake City. Smith asked Thune about his family and faith, his views on American involvement in Ukraine and Israel, and whether he thinks Republicans can win the Senate majority in November.

Thune attended Biola University, a private religious college in California, where he met his wife Kimberley Thune, who also attended the Hatch Foundation gala.

Thune: Republicans need to focus on issues if they want to win

Smith asked Thune to weigh in on whether Republicans can win the Senate majority and the presidency and keep their majority in the House.

"It's a great map, a map unlike anything we've seen in a few decades, at least," Thune said. "And we've got some really high-quality candidates. But you have to have a good performance at the top of the ticket. The presidential race matters, and that race looks to be very competitive at the moment."

While the presidential race has gotten more competitive since Vice President Kamala Harris entered the race against former President Donald Trump, Thune said he still thinks Republicans are "well positioned to win" if they "keep the focus on the issues."

"You know, I would say elections are about differences, and the differences couldn't be more clear, the choices couldn't be more clear for the American people, but we have to execute and stay focused and have a consistent, coherent message that is attractive to voters around the country," he said.

Thune has traveled the country this year to help Republican Senate candidates fundraise and said he is "hopeful" Republicans can win the majority in the Senate. The election calendar favors Republicans this year, with close races expected in several states with Democratic incumbents, including Nevada, Montana and Pennsylvania. Republicans also hope to win open seats in West Virginia and Arizona.

If Trump wins the White House, Republicans only need 50 seats to capture the Senate majority, because Sen. JD Vance would, as vice president, cast tie-breaking votes. But if Harris wins, they will need 51.

Thune on wars in Gaza and Ukraine

Thune said he views Israel's war against Hamas in Gaza as part of a larger regional fight against Iran. By fighting Hamas and Hezbollah, as well as the Houthis, Israel is standing between the U.S. and Iran, Thune said, pointing out that Iranian proxies have also attacked U.S. troops in recent months.

Thune said he thinks the Biden administration has been "weak" when it comes to deterrence, especially related to the Iranian nuclear deal, and said he finds the way the administration has handled the war in Gaza "troublesome."

"If you look at what's happening on college campuses around this country, and the antisemitism that we're seeing, the evidence that people, for whatever reason, have become sympathetic to terrorists. Hamas is a terrorist organization," he said.

Thune said he was in Israel two weeks after the Oct. 7 attacks by Hamas, and said emotions were still very "raw."

"And you realize when you're there, just the proximity of all this and the threats that exist on the borders, you can't live with a terrorist organization that is bent on your destruction every single day," Thune said.

"Hamas and terrorist organizations like it have to be destroyed," he said.

Thune said he also backs continued support for Ukraine in its war against Russia, despite calls from within his party to stop funding Ukraine's efforts to defend itself.

He pointed out that a majority of Republicans in the Senate supported the latest measure to provide more aid to Ukraine, saying it was evidence there was still bipartisan support for pushing back against Russian aggression.

By supporting Ukraine, he said, it puts them in a position of strength if they enter into negotiations with Russia to end the war.

"Winston Churchill used to say that the only thing worse than fighting wars is fighting wars without allies, and NATO has proven to be a very successful alliance against a lot of really bad behavior for the last 80 years," Thune said.

He said the doctrine of "peace through strength," coined by former President Ronald Reagan, has served the country well.

"But I've always said, and this is understood in my office, when it comes to ... how I vote on things, we always say that if you don't get national security right, the rest is conversation. If you can't protect the country and defend the country then everything else we talk about really becomes temporary," he said.

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