Jon Cumberland Bruning (born April 30, 1969) is an American politician who served as the 32nd Attorney General of Nebraska from 2003 to 2015. A member of the Republican Party, he previously represented the 3rd district in the

Nebraska Legislature The Nebraska Legislature (also called the Unicameral) is the legislative branch, legislature of the U.S. state of Nebraska. The Legislature meets at the Nebraska State Capitol in Lincoln, Nebraska, Lincoln. With 49 members, known as "senators ...

from 1997 until 2003. He was a candidate in the

2012 United States Senate election in Nebraska The 2012 United States Senate election in Nebraska took place on November 6, 2012, concurrently with the 2012 U.S. presidential election as well as other elections to the United States Senate and House of Representatives and various state and ...

, losing the Republican nomination to

Deb Fischer Debra Lynelle Fischer (; born March 1, 1951) is an American politician and former educator serving as the senior United States senator from Nebraska, a seat she has held since 2013. A member of the Republican Party, Fischer is the third woman t ...

and in the 2014 Nebraska gubernatorial election, also losing the nomination to

Pete Ricketts John Peter Ricketts (born August 19, 1964) is an American businessman and politician serving as the Seniority in the United States Senate, junior United States Senate, United States senator from Nebraska since 2023. A member of the Republican Part ...

Early life, education and legal career

Bruning was born and raised in

Lincoln, Nebraska Lincoln is the List of capitals in the United States, capital city of the U.S. state of Nebraska. The city covers and had a population of 291,082 as of the 2020 census. It is the state's List of cities in Nebraska, second-most populous city a ...

, a fifth generation Nebraskan, and graduated from

Lincoln Southeast High School Lincoln Southeast High School is a public high school located in Lincoln, Nebraska, United States. It is part of the Lincoln Public Schools district. Lincoln Southeast High School has the highest accreditation from the Nebraska Department ...

. After high school, Bruning went on to the

University of Nebraska A university () is an educational institution, institution of tertiary education and research which awards academic degrees in several Discipline (academia), academic disciplines. ''University'' is derived from the Latin phrase , which roughly ...

where he received a bachelor's degree in 1990 with High Distinction. Bruning was a member of

Phi Beta Kappa The Phi Beta Kappa Society () is the oldest academic honor society in the United States. It was founded in 1776 at the College of William & Mary in Virginia. Phi Beta Kappa aims to promote and advocate excellence in the liberal arts and sciences, ...

and the Innocents Society, a senior honor society at Nebraska that honors 13 seniors for leadership, scholarship and service. After completing his undergraduate studies, Bruning attended the University of Nebraska-Lincoln College of Law, where he received his

Juris Doctor A Juris Doctor, Doctor of Jurisprudence, or Doctor of Law (JD) is a graduate-entry professional degree that primarily prepares individuals to practice law. In the United States and the Philippines, it is the only qualifying law degree. Other j ...

in 1994. In 1995, Bruning married Deonne Niemack; the couple has two children, Lauren and Jack. Bruning served as

general counsel A general counsel, also known as chief counsel or chief legal officer (CLO), is the chief in-house lawyer for a company or a governmental department. In a company, the person holding the position typically reports directly to the CEO, and their ...

for Vital Learning Corporation from 1995 to 1997.

Political career

Nebraska Legislature

Bruning ran to represent the 3rd district of the

in 1996. He defeated incumbent Michael Avery 55%–44%. 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. He won re-election in 2000 unopposed.

Attorney General

Bruning was elected Attorney General of Nebraska in 2002 with 66% of the vote, becoming the youngest attorney general in the country at the time, and the youngest in Nebraska history. He won reelection unopposed in 2006 and 2010. In 2004, he worked with the Nebraska Legislature to create Nebraska's Medicaid Fraud Unit. The Medicaid Fraud Unit recovered more than $20 million in 2012 and nearly $68 million since 2004. In 2005, Bruning launched a criminal probe of University of Nebraska Regent David Hergert related to campaign finances. In the same year, he charged a 20-year-old man with rape after his 14-year-old wife became pregnant. He served as President of the National Association of Attorneys General from 2009 to 2010. He traveled to Iraq as President of the National Association of Attorneys General (NAAG) and signed training agreement with Iraq Jurists Union. During a speech in August 2011, Bruning compared welfare recipients to

raccoon The raccoon ( or , ''Procyon lotor''), sometimes called the North American, northern or common raccoon (also spelled racoon) to distinguish it from Procyonina, other species of raccoon, is a mammal native to North America. It is the largest ...

s. Bruning said his comment might have been "inartful" but that he was trying to make a point about spending cuts being necessary. In August 2011, the ''

Omaha World-Herald The ''Omaha World-Herald'' is a daily newspaper in the midwestern United States, the primary newspaper of the Omaha-Council Bluffs metropolitan area. It was locally owned from its founding in 1885 until 2020, when it was sold to the newspaper ...

'' reported that Bruning had purchased a lakeside house valued at $675,000 near the

Platte River The Platte River () is a major American river, in the state of Nebraska. It is about long; measured to its farthest source via its tributary, the North Platte River, it flows for over . The Platte River is a tributary of the Missouri River, w ...

in partnership with two

Nelnet Nelnet, Inc. is a United States–based conglomerate that primary focused on financial services including student and consumer loan origination and servicing. Additionally, the company operates an investing arm, an internet bank and has a 26% ...

executives, almost a year after he and his office had been accused of acting favorably toward the student loan company by not enforcing payment of a $1 million judgment awarded to the

State of Nebraska Nebraska ( ) is a landlocked U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. It borders South Dakota to the north; Iowa to the east and Missouri to the southeast, both across the Missouri River; Ka ...

when Nelnet was under fire for alleged improper business practices. In 2012, Bruning sued the Federal government of the United States over the

Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act A patient is any recipient of health care services that are performed by healthcare professionals. The patient is most often ill or injured and in need of treatment by a physician, nurse, optometrist, dentist, veterinarian, or other health ...

with a 26 state coalition. His office led the legal challenge to the federal Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act's provision regarding employer-paid health insurance requirements related to abortion. In 2013, Bruning was fined a $19,000 civil penalty by the

Federal Election Commission The Federal Election Commission (FEC) is an independent agency of the United States government that enforces U.S. campaign finance laws and oversees U.S. federal elections. Created in 1974 through amendments to the Federal Election Campaign ...

for campaign finance violations during his 2012 U.S. Senate election effort. In late 2014, Bruning, together with Oklahoma Attorney General

Scott Pruitt Edward Scott Pruitt (born May 9, 1968) is an American attorney, lobbyist and Republican Party (United States), Republican politician from the state of Oklahoma. He served as the 14th Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) f ...

, filed a suit in the

Supreme Court of the United States The Supreme Court of the United States (SCOTUS) is the highest court in the federal judiciary of the United States. It has ultimate appellate jurisdiction over all Federal tribunals in the United States, U.S. federal court cases, and over Stat ...

in which they asked that Colorado's

Amendment 64 Colorado Amendment 64 was a successful popular initiative ballot measure to amend the Constitution of the State of Colorado, outlining a statewide drug policy for cannabis. The measure passed on November 6, 2012, and along with a similar mea ...

, which legalized marijuana in that state, be struck down. Bruning and Pruitt argued that the Colorado measure violated the

Supremacy Clause The Supremacy Clause of the Constitution of the United States ( Article VI, Clause 2) establishes that the Constitution, federal laws made pursuant to it, and treaties made under its authority, constitute the "supreme Law of the Land", and th ...

of the U.S. Constitution, since the U.S. Congress had enacted the 1970

Controlled Substances Act The Controlled Substances Act (CSA) is the statute establishing federal government of the United States, federal drug policy of the United States, U.S. drug policy under which the manufacture, importation, possession, use, and distribution of ...

, which imposed a nationwide ban on marijuana. In connection with the suit, Bruning declared that marijuana was a "

gateway drug The gateway drug effect (alternatively, stepping-stone theory, escalation hypothesis, or progression hypothesis) is a comprehensive catchphrase for the often observed effect that the use of a psychoactive substance is coupled to an increased probab ...

that is a detriment to society" and that "I don't want it to be a legal option for my children or your option or anyone's children in this state or in this country." Bruning left office as Nebraska Attorney General with the inauguration of his successor, Doug Peterson, on January 8, 2015.

U.S. Senate and gubernatorial elections

In 2007, Bruning entered the race for the U.S. Senate seat then held by

Chuck Hagel Charles Timothy Hagel ( ; born October 4, 1946)Mike Johanns joined the race for the now-open seat. Faced with an overwhelming likelihood that Johanns would win the Republican primary, Bruning withdrew from the campaign almost a year before the election. In late 2010, Bruning announced that he would run in the 2012 election for the U.S. Senate seat held by Democrat

Ben Nelson Earl Benjamin Nelson (born May 17, 1941) is an American attorney, businessman, and politician who served as the 37th governor of Nebraska from 1991 to 1999 and as a United States Senator from Nebraska from 2001 to 2013. He is a member of the D ...

, whose approval ratings in Nebraska had plummeted after he provided the 60th and final vote necessary to break a Republican filibuster and pass the

. In December 2011, Nelson announced that he would not seek reelection. Bruning was seen as the strong front-runner in the Republican primary race; former Attorney General and current State Treasurer

Don Stenberg Don Stenberg (born September 30, 1948) is an American lawyer and politician who served as the 31st Nebraska Attorney General, Attorney General of Nebraska from 1991 to 2003 and 43rd Nebraska State Treasurer, Treasurer of Nebraska from 2011 to 2019 ...

, favored by the conservative

Tea Party movement The Tea Party movement was an American fiscally conservative political movement within the Republican Party that began in 2007, catapulted into the mainstream by Congressman Ron Paul's presidential campaign. The movement expanded in resp ...

, was seen as his strongest challenger. Bruning and Stenberg attacked one another aggressively throughout the campaign. Shortly before the election, the

political action committee In the United States, a political action committee (PAC) is a tax-exempt 527 organization that pools campaign contributions from members and donates those funds to campaigns for or against candidates, ballot initiatives, or legislation. The l ...

Ending Spending, financed by Omaha businessman

Joe Ricketts John Joseph Ricketts (born July 16, 1941) is an American businessman. He is the founder, former CEO and former chairman of TD Ameritrade. He has an estimated net worth of US$4.1 billion as of 2024, according to ''Forbes''. He has pursued a variety ...

, ran a television ad attacking Bruning for buying a lake house together with two executives of Lincoln student-loan firm

less than a year after Bruning, in his capacity as attorney general, had sought to waive a $1 million penalty against the company. In the primary election, voters delivered an unexpected victory to dark-horse candidate

, who won 41% of the vote to Bruning's 36% and Stenberg's 19%."Official Report of the Board of State Canvassers of the State of Nebraska: Primary Election, May 15, 2012"
, p. 15.

Retrieved 2015-02-10. In 2014, Governor

Dave Heineman David Eugene Heineman (born May 12, 1948) is an American politician who served as the 39th governor of Nebraska from 2005 to 2015. A member of the Republican Party, he was the 39th treasurer of Nebraska from 1995 to 2001 and 37th lieutenant gove ...

was barred by Nebraska's term-limits law from running for a third consecutive term. In February of that year, Bruning announced that he would seek the governorship, joining the five candidates who had already declared. His entry into the race, although it came late, made him the perceived front-runner, supplanting Omaha businessman

.Tsyver, Robynn.
"Attorney General Jon Bruning to run for Nebraska governor".''Omaha World-Herald''.
2014-02-09. Retrieved 2015-02-10. In the course of the campaign, two groups that declined to name their donors purchased $1.3 million in television ads attacking Bruning, who accused Ricketts and his father Joe Ricketts of funding the groups, charges which Ricketts denied. Ricketts won the primary election, with 26.6% of the vote to Bruning's 25.5%; State Senator

Beau McCoy Beau McCoy (born November 12, 1980) is an American politician who served as a member of the Nebraska Legislature for the 39th district from 2009 to 2017. Early life and education McCoy was born in Burlington, Colorado, and has been active in ...

received 20.9% and State Auditor Mike Foley 19.2%."Official Report of the Board of State Canvassers of the State of Nebraska: Primary Election, May 13, 2014"
, pp. 19–20.

Retrieved 2015-02-10.

Electoral history

References

External links

* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Bruning, Jon 1969 births Living people Nebraska attorneys general Nebraska lawyers Republican Party Nebraska state senators Tea Party movement activists Politicians from Lincoln, Nebraska University of Nebraska–Lincoln alumni 21st-century members of the Nebraska Legislature