Senator John Thune not running for president

The Republican Senator John Thune from South Dakota has in a statement today informed that he will not run for president in 2012. Thune, who has Norwegian roots, has by many commentators been viewed as an outsider or dark horse candidate, and some have, although doubting his chances, viewed him as a potential vice president candidate for Mitt Romney, who currently has a very small lead in the polls.

RealClearPolitics believes that Thune's decision not to run will allow him "to move up in the Senate" by going for the whip position. A strengthened position in the Senate might give him a better chance in 2016, who knows?

I still hope to work more on his ancestry. His grandfather Nikolai Nilsen Gjelsvik was born at Gjelsvik in Vevring (today in Askvoll municipality) and emigrated to the United States in 1906. I have posted some notes on his ancestry at Digitalarkivet's users' forum and don't think it will be difficult to trace more of his ancestors.

See also The New York Times' and The Washington Post's articles on John Thune's decision to pass on the 2012 presidential run.