| Jon Bruning | |
|---|---|
| 31st Attorney General of Nebraska | |
| Incumbent | |
| Assumed office January 3, 2003 |
|
| Governor | Dave Heineman |
| Preceded by | Don Stenberg |
| Member of the Nebraska Senate from the 3rd district |
|
| In office January 8, 1997 – November 6, 2002 |
|
| Preceded by | Michael Avery |
| Succeeded by | Gail Kopplin |
| Personal details | |
| Born | April 30, 1969 Lincoln, Nebraska |
| Political party | Republican |
| Alma mater | University of Nebraska-Lincoln College of Law (J.D., 1994) University of Nebraska (B.A., 1990) |
| Occupation | Attorney general |
| Website | Official website |
Jon Bruning (born April 30, 1969) is the 31st Attorney General of the state of Nebraska and a candidate for the United States Senate. A Republican, he was a Member of the Nebraska State Legislature from 1996 until his resignation in 2002 following his election to the position of Attorney General.
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Bruning was born and raised in Lincoln, Nebraska, a fifth generation Nebraskan, and graduated from Lincoln Southeast High School. After high school, Bruning went on to the University of Nebraska where he received a Bachelor's degree in 1990. After completing his undergraduate studies, Bruning attended the University of Nebraska-Lincoln College of Law, where he received his Juris Doctor with distinction in 1994.
As a law student in 1992, he held very liberal views and wrote an article in the The Daily Nebraskan. He praised Hillary Clinton and said "Ronald Reagan was incapable of understanding complex policy arguments." He said he supported abortion, gun control, gay rights, and affirmative action.[1] In response in 2011, his advisor said "As a student Jon held some liberal views and wrote about them. But as he matured, started a family, and began his career in the private sector he embraced conservative principles. His conservative voting record as a state senator, his years of work helping to elect conservatives in Nebraska - and nationally - and his record as Republican Attorney General has been stellar."[2]
After completing law school, 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.
Bruning served as general counsel for Vital Learning Corporation from 1995 to 1997. From 1999 to 2003, Bruning served as general counsel to Tagge-Rutherford Financial Group.[3]
Bruning ran for the Senate's 3rd District of the Nebraska Legislature in 1996. He defeated incumbent Michael Avery 55%-44%.[4] He was the youngest member of the legislature. In 1998, he sponsored a bill that would extend loans to college students in order to encourage them to stay in the state.[5] He won re-election in 2000 unopposed.[6] By 2002, Nebraska was the only state to only use the electric chair for death penalty. He sponsored legislation to legalize Lethal injection[7]
He was elected Attorney General of the State of Nebraska in 2002 with 66%, and won re-election unopposed in 2006 and 2010. He sued the federal government over Obamacare with a 26 state coalition. He was President of the National Association of Attorneys General from 2009 to 2010.
On November 5th, 2010, Bruning announced he was exploring a 2012 run for the Senate seat currently held by incumbent Senator Ben Nelson.[8] On January 5th, 2011, Bruning officially entered the race by filing papers to form a campaign committee with the Federal Elections Commission[9]
Bruning has been endorsed by the Tea Party Express[10] and former Arkansas Governor Mike Huckabee.[11] Bruning has stated he believes life begins at conception, and has been endorsed by Nebraska Right to Life in each of his campaigns. [12]
| 1996 Nebraska Legislature Election, State Senate District 3 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Candidate | Votes | Percentage | ||
| Jon Bruning | 6,361 | 55.32% | ||
| Michael T. Avery | 5,105 | 44.4% | ||
| Nebraska Attorney General Election, 2002 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Votes | Percentage | |
| Democratic | Mike Meister | 150,286 | 33.93% | |
| Republican | Jon Bruning | 292,673 | 66.07% | |
Bruning married Deonne Niemack of Shelton, Nebraska in 1995 in Lincoln; they have two children, Lauren and Jack.
| Legal offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Don Stenberg |
Nebraska Attorney General 2003–present |
Incumbent |
| Political offices | ||
| Preceded by Michael Avery |
Nebraska State Senator - District 3 1997-2002 |
Succeeded by Ray Mossey |
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