Jon Bruning

Jon Bruning

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Republican Party

Prior offices

Nebraska State Senate

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Attorney General of Nebraska

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Education

High school

Lincoln Southeast High School, 1987

Bachelor's

University of Nebraska, 1990

Law

University of Nebraska, Lincoln College of Law, 1994

Personal

Religion

United Methodist

Profession

Attorney

Contact

Personal Twitter

Jon Bruning (born April 30, 1969, in Lincoln, Nebraska) was the 32nd Attorney General of Nebraska. A Republican, he was first elected to the office in 2002 and was subsequently re-elected to the statewide position in 2006 and 2010, both times unopposed. Bruning had previously stated his intention to run for re-election as attorney general in the 2014 elections, but then ran for Governor of Nebraska. Bruning was narrowly defeated in the Republican primary on May 13, 2014, by businessman Pete Ricketts.

Bruning's term third term as attorney general expired on January 8, 2015, and he was succeeded in office by Doug Peterson (R).

Previously, Bruning was a member of the Nebraska State Legislature. First elected in 1996, he served the public in that position for a total of six years-four years for his first term then two years for his second before being elected state attorney general. Bruning ran for the U.S. Senate seat vacated by retiring Sen. Ben Nelson, but he was defeated by Deb Fischer in the May 15, 2012, primary.

Biography

Immediately upon receiving his law degree, Bruning went to work for both the United States Court of Appeals for the 8th Circuit and the United States District Court for the District of Nebraska. For two years, beginning in 1995, he served as general counsel for Vital Learning Corporation, an Omaha-based business that provides educational services, personal business development and management training for its customers. From 1999 until 2003, Bruning also worked as general counsel to Tagge-Rutherford Financial Group.

Bruning is a member of the Nebraska State Bar Association and chaired the Nebraska Crime Commission.

Education

• Lincoln Southeast High School (1987) ranked 1st out of 487 graduates
• Bachelor's degree - University of Nebraska (1990) with High Distinction and Honors
• Juris Doctorate - University of Nebraska-Lincoln College of Law (1994) with Distinction

Political career

Attorney General of Nebraska (2003 - 2015)

Bruning was first elected to this position in 2002 and was re-elected in 2006 and again in 2010.

Healthcare reform

See also: State Attorneys General Against the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act of 2010

On the same morning President Barack Obama signed into law his controversial health care reform bill, which narrowly passed the United States House of Representatives just two days before, Bruning and twelve other Attorneys General, all but one being Republican, filed suit against "the federal government to stop the massive health care overhaul, claiming it's unconstitutional." He remarked that Obamacare "tramples on individual liberty and dumps on the states the burden of an unfunded mandate that taxpayers cannot afford."

Illegal immigration

Nearly two weeks after the United States Justice Department filed suit against the state of Arizona over its anti-illegal immigration law, Senate Bill 1070 - The Support Our Law Enforcement and Safe Neighborhoods Act (SB 1070), contending that it "interferes with federal immigration responsibilities," Bruning joined eight other Republican state attorneys general in filing an amicus brief in support of the measure. The Nebraska Attorney General argued that measures such as the one Arizona instituted are necessary since, "under the current situation, the states have lost control over their borders and are left to guess at the reality of the law."

Nebraska State Senator (1996 - 2002)

Bruning was first elected to the Nebraska State Legislature in 1996 and served the public in that position for a total of six years, four years for his first term then two years of his second, before being elected Attorney General.

Noteworthy events

Personal finances

Media reports in January 2012 regarding Bruning and fellow Republican candidate Don Stenberg centered around their personal finances. State Treasurer Stenberg said that Bruning became wealthy while in office as attorney general. Reports indicated that Stenberg was also a millionaire, but he said he earned his money in the private sector before taking office.

Affordable Care Act lawsuit (2010)

See also: State Attorneys General Against the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act of 2010

Bruning was one of 13 state attorneys general who initiated a 2010 lawsuit challenging the constitutionality of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act. The suit argued that the individual mandate fell outside of the federal government’s authority and that the requirement for state Medicaid expansion of coverage violated state sovereignty. The case was ultimately heard before the Supreme Court, which ruled to uphold the individual mandate as falling within Congress’ authority to levy taxes and struck down the Medicaid expansion as being unduly coercive in light of the withholding of funding that would result from noncompliance.

Elections

2014

See also: Nebraska attorney general election, 2014 and Nebraska gubernatorial election, 2014

Bruning had previously declared his intention to run for a fourth term as attorney general in 2014, but then decided to run for Governor of Nebraska. Bruning lost in the Republican primary on May 13, 2014. The general election took place on November 4, 2014.

Bruning also considered entering the 2014 U.S. Senate race to succeed outgoing freshman Sen. Mike Johanns.

Results

Primary

Governor of Nebraska, Republican Primary, 2014
Candidate	Vote %	Votes
Pete Ricketts	26.6%	58,671
Jon Bruning	25.5%	56,324
Beau McCoy	20.9%	46,196
Mike Foley	19.2%	42,394
Tom Carlson	4.1%	9,080
Bryan Slone	3.7%	8,265
Total Votes		220,930
Election results via Nebraska Secretary of State.

Endorsements

• Current Governor of Nebraska Dave Heineman

Campaign Ads

Ricketts Fights For Ricketts

Heineman's Choice

2012

See also: United States Senate elections in Nebraska, 2012

Bruning ran for U.S. Senate in 2012. He was defeated by Deb Fischer in the primary.

The primary took place on May 15, 2012.

US Senate, Nebraska Republican Primary, 2012

Candidate	Vote %	Votes
Deb Fischer	41%	79,941
Jon Bruning	35.9%	70,067
Don Stenberg	18.8%	36,727
Pat Flynn	2.8%	5,413
Spencer Zimmerman	0.8%	1,601
Sharyn Elander	0.7%	1,294
Total Votes		195,043

Campaign finance violations

In May 2013, Bruning agreed to pay a $19,000 civil penalty for campaign finance violations during his 2012 campaign. In question was an email Bruning sent on November 30, 2010, seeking donations that said, “Please help me defeat Ben Nelson in 2012 by making a contribution today. Together we can take back this country and bring true Nebraska values to Washington.”

The Federal Election Commission said that this showed Bruning "had decided to be a candidate for federal office” at a date earlier than reflected in his filings, making his filings late. He was found to have failed to file a statement of candidacy in a timely manner as well as a statement of organization, the 2010 year-end report and the financial activity of the Jon Bruning Exploratory Committee.

2010

See also: Nebraska Attorney General election, 2010

• 2010 Race for Attorney General - Republican Primary and General Elections

• Jon Bruning ran unopposed in both contests

2007

On Monday, March 15, 2007, Bruning announced that he had organized an exploratory committee regarding the possibility of running for the United States Senate if Chuck Hagel chose to retire or seek another political office. A month later, citing his displeasure with Hagel's stance on the war in Iraq, Bruning suggested that he was willing to challenge the two-term Republican congressman in the primary if he ran for a third time. It never came to that, however, as Hagel ultimately decided in September 2007 to announce his retirement effective at the end of the congressional term. And despite raising well over $1 million in campaign contributions, Bruning ended his senatorial run in November 2007 and endorsed his Republican primary challenger, United States Agriculture Secretary Mike Johanns. The Nebraska Attorney General denied basing his decision on the wishes of the Republican leadership, claiming rather that he dropped out because he and Secretary Johanns "agreed on the issues and he didn’t want to campaign against someone he liked."

2006

• 2006 Race for Attorney General - Republican Primary and General Elections

• Jon Bruning ran unopposed in both contests

2002

• 2002 Race for Attorney General - Republican Primary

• Jon Bruning ran unopposed in this contest

2002 Race for Attorney General - General Election
Party		Candidate	Vote Percentage
	Republican Party	a Jon Bruning	66.0%
	Democratic Party	Mike Meister	34.0%
Total Votes			443,499

Campaign themes

2012

On his campaign website, Bruning listed seven issues. They were:

• The Constitution

• On his website, Bruning said, "This country was built by pioneering individuals, not a bloated bureaucracy. We need to return our focus to the protection of individual rights and the importance of individual responsibility. As Attorney General, I’ve been proud to carry the banner of the state in challenging federal overreach through the courts – pushing back against the constant expansion of the federal government into our daily lives. From Obamacare to onerous regulations coming from an alphabet soup list of agencies, the federal government is attempting to regulate everything that moves, employs, breathes, and manufactures. This unprecedented expansion of the federal government must be stopped."

• Protecting the Unborn

• On his website, Bruning said, "Life begins at conception, period. Judges who wish to legislate from the bench and create interpretations of our Constitution which defile its intent must not be confirmed to serve in our courts."

• Agriculture

• On his website, Bruning said, "We need less suspicion and more common sense in our approach to the environmental regulation of production agriculture. Given EPA’s recent efforts to exponentially expand its regulatory authority, further Congressional oversight is necessary."

• Overturning Obamacare

• On his website, Bruning said, "In passing this law, Congress overstepped its Constitutional bounds when it required every American to purchase health insurance or face a penalty. Never before has Congress regulated a non-activity or penalized Americans for doing nothing. Simply put, this law is unconstitutional and financially unsustainable. Through my continued fight against this law, I will vigorously defend our individual liberties guaranteed us by the Constitution."

• Taxes and Spending

• On his website, Bruning said, "Any future success of this country is predicated upon reducing the debt, deficit and reigning in federal spending. Righting the fiscal ship is essential if we are to reduce the burden already placed on future generations. Nebraskans operate within their budgets at home and the federal government should do the same. We must cut spending and no program is off the table. We also need a zero tolerance policy toward earmarks. Earmarks encourage wasteful spending and I won’t support them."

• 2nd Amendment

• On his website, Bruning said, "The right to bear arms guaranteed under the Constitution of the United States of America should never be compromised."

• Illegal Immigration

• On his website, Bruning said, "The flood of illegal immigrants into this country has burdened our public schools, hospitals, prisons, and social programs, costing taxpayers billions of dollars. America’s porous borders are also targets for terrorists and drug smugglers who present a great risk to our national security. Unfortunately, the federal government has failed to genuinely address the problem or find viable solutions to the problem. That’s why, in addition to the federal government’s efforts, I continue to support state enforcement of immigration laws."

Campaign finance summary

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Note: The finance data shown here comes from the disclosures required of candidates and parties. Depending on the election or state, this may represent only a portion of all the funds spent on their behalf. Satellite spending groups may or may not have expended funds related to the candidate or politician on whose page you are reading this disclaimer. Campaign finance data from elections may be incomplete. For elections to federal offices, complete data can be found at the FEC website. Click here for more on federal campaign finance law and here for more on state campaign finance law.

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Jon Bruning campaign contribution history

Year	Office	Status	Contributions	Expenditures
2014	Nebraska Governor	Lost	$1,365,202	N/A**
2012	U.S. Senate	Lost	$2,607,343	N/A**
2010	Nebraska Attorney General	Won	$1,300,879	N/A**
2006	Nebraska Attorney General	Won	$787,609	N/A**
2002	Nebraska Attorney General	Won	$417,895	N/A**
2000	Nebraska State Senate	Won	$110,380	N/A**
** Data on expenditures is not available for this election cycle
Note: Totals above reflect only availabale data.

Personal

Note: Please contact us if the personal information below requires an update.
Bruning currently resides in Omaha, Nebraska, with his wife of fifteen years, Deonne Niemack, and their two children, Lauren and Jack. He is also a practicing United Methodist.

Recent news

This section links to a Google news search for the term "Jon + Bruning + Nebraska + Attorney"

Jon Bruning News Feed

Contact info

Capitol Address:
Office of the Attorney General
2115 State Capitol
Lincoln, NE 68509

Phone: (402) 471-2682
Toll Free Phone: (800) 727-6432
Fax: (402) 471-3297

See also

• Attorney General of Nebraska
• Attorney General
• Nebraska State Senate
• Governor of Nebraska
• United States Senate elections in Nebraska, 2012
• United States Senate elections, 2012

External links

Suggest a link

• Jon Bruning campaign website
• Official Nebraska Attorney General website
• National Association of Attorneys General - Jon Bruning biography
• Bruning for Senate Exploratory Committee website
• Jon Bruning's Facebook profile
• Jon Bruning's Twitter account
• Project Vote Smart - Jon Bruning biography
• Campaign contributions: 2012, 2010, 2008, 2006, 2004, 2002, 2000

Footnotes

Political offices
Preceded by Don Stenberg (R)	Nebraska Attorney General 2003–2015	Succeeded by Doug Peterson (R)
Preceded by Michael Avery	Nebraska State Senate 1996–2002	Succeeded by Ray Mossey