Jon Bruning

Jon Bruning
Attorney General of Nebraska
Incumbent
In office
2002-Present
Term ends
2014
Years in position	11
Party	Republican
Predecessor	Don Stenberg (R)
Compensation
Base salary	$95,000
Elections and appointments
Last election	November 2, 2010
First elected	November 5, 2002
Next election	November 4, 2014
Term limits	N/A
Prior offices
Nebraska State Senate
1996-2002
Education
High school	Lincoln Southeast High School (1987)
Bachelor's	University of Nebraska (1990)
J.D.	University of Nebraska - Lincoln College of Law (1994)
Personal
Birthday	April 20, 1969
Place of birth	Lincoln, Nebraska
Profession	Attorney
Religion	United Methodist
Websites
Office website
Personal website
Campaign website

Jon Bruning (born April 30, 1969, in Lincoln, Nebraska) is the current Republican Attorney General of Nebraska. 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. He will seek re-election as attorney general in the 2014 elections.

Bruning ran for the 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 Eighth 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 chairs 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 (2002 - present)

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."

Controversies

Personal finances

Media reports in January 2012 regarding Bruning and fellow Republican candidate Don Stenberg centered around their personal finances. State Treasurer Stenberg criticized Bruning for becoming 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.

Nebraska State Senator (1996 - 2002)

Bruning was first elected to the Nebraska State Legislature in 1996 and serving 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 Attorney General.

Elections

2014

See also: Nebraska attorney general election, 2014

Bruning will run for a fourth term as attorney general in 2014. Before declaring his bid for re-election on March 4, 2013, Bruning considered entering the 2014 U.S. Senate race to succeed outgoing freshman Sen. Mike Johanns. Bruning had briefly explored a gubernatorial bid as well, but decided against it in Jan. 2013.

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 May 15, 2012 primary.

• Primary election

The primary took place on June 5, 2012.

US Senate - Nebraska Republican Primary, 2012
Candidate	Vote %	Votes
Deb Fischer	6.7%	79,941
Jon Bruning	58.6%	701,067
Don Stenberg	30.2%	361,727
Pat Flynn	4.3%	51,413
Spencer Zimmerman	0.1%	1,601
Sharyn Elander	0.1%	1,294
Total Votes		1,197,043

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.

Campaign themes

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."

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 contributions

Ballotpedia collects information on campaign donors for each year in which a candidate or incumbent is running for election. The following table offers a breakdown of Jon Bruning's donors each year. Click [show] for more information.

Jon Bruning's Campaign Contributions
	2010 Attorney General of Nebraska		2006 Attorney General of Nebraska		2002 Attorney General of Nebraska		2000 Nebraska State Senate (Unicameral)
Total Raised	$922,735		$761,995		$420,650		$113,564
Total Raised by General Election Opponent	Unopposed		Unopposed		$94,906		Unopposed
Top 5 contributors	Republican State Leadership Committee	$250,000	Republican State Leadership Committee	$75,000	Bruning for Legislature	$72,484	Nebraska Chamber of Commerce & Industry	$4,400
	Reynolds American	$22,500	Smithfield Foods	$11,000	Jon Bruning	$12,500	Nebraska Association of Trial Attorneys	$3,000
	David Sokol	$15,000	Joe Hyland	$10,000	American Title Inc.	$10,000	Nebraska Professional Fire Fighters	$2,100
	Securecare of Nebraska, Inc.	$10,000	AT&T	$10,000	David Sokol	$7,500	Nebraska Optometric Association	$2,050
	Smithfield Foods	$10,000	Mark Davis	$10,000	Pinnacle Sports Productions	$6,000	Nebraska United Transportation Union and Nebraska Realtors Association	$2,000
Individuals	$280,306		$171,384		$109,455		$4,100
Institutions	$631,585		$271,571		$72,699		$56,553
In-state donations	$384,781		$305,888		$374,245		$104,030
Out-of-state donations	$523,090		$224,621		$18,950		$3,650

Recent news

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Jon Bruning News Feed

• Email Trips Up Nebraska Attorney General, Agrees to $19000 Penalty - Roll Call (blog)
• Nebraska Attorney General Jon Bruning fined $19000 by FEC for violations in ... - The Republic
• Lawmakers pass state budget - North Platte Bulletin
• Nebraska Attorney General's Office worker arrested - Fremont Tribune
• Nebraska gets $880,0000 in drug settlement - Lincoln Journal Star
• Payout for man wrongfully convicted of Neb. murder wins first-round approval ... - The Republic
• Bruning fined by Federal Election Commission - KHAS-TV
• Philadelphia case sparks debate on abortion clinics' standards - Omaha World-Herald
• Law Enforcement Officers Honored, Remembered - WOWT
• 7000-plus pounds of medication collected in Nebraska - Omaha World-Herald

Personal

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.

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

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

References

Political offices
Preceded by Michael Avery	Nebraska State Senate 1996–2002	Succeeded by Ray Mossey
Preceded by Don Stenberg (R)	Nebraska Attorney General 2002–present	Succeeded by NA