Senate's No. 2 Republican, John Thune, to face primary challenge

Mark Mowry, who has never held elected office, announced this week he will challenge John Thune in South Dakota's June 2022 primary.

Thune won reelection to his seat in 2016 with 71% percent of the vote. Before being elected to the Senate, he represented South Dakota’s lone congressional district in the House from 1997 to 2003. Mowry, a "ranch-raised" husband and father to four grown children, said he’s running on an "America First" platform. "The battle being fought is that of Globalism vs. Nationalism," he said.  Mowry’s background is in music, writing and education. He and his wife took their children to India for a mission trip in 1993 and ended up working and serving there for 20 years.