PIERRE, S.D. (AP) — U.S. Sen. John Thune says he decided not to run for president next year after concluding he’d have a difficult time fundraising and that President Barack Obama would be tough to beat.
The South Dakota Republican told The Associated Press on Tuesday that he’s not as well-known and wouldn’t be able to raise as much money as other potential GOP candidates. But he’s not backing any one person because he doesn’t know who will end up in the race.
Thune says likely fundraising difficulties would have forced him to “run a fairly unconventional grassroots campaign.”
He also told The AP he sees Obama as a “very shrewd politician.”
But Thune says he ultimately decided not to run so he can stay in the Senate, where he holds the No. 4 GOP leadership position.
