Nebraska AG to run for governor

LINCOLN, Neb. (Legal Newsline) - Nebraska Attorney General Jon Bruning joined the mix of Republicans seeking the nomination to become the state's next governor.

Bruning announced his candidacy via Twitter over the weekend.

"I'm the only candidate in this race who has stood up to (President) Obama and (the) overreach of the federal government," Bruning tweeted yesterday. "I will never give up on doing what is right and what is best for Nebraska."

With Incumbent Rep. Gov. Dave Heineman term-limited, a slew of Republicans have announced their candidacy for the office, including state senators Tom Carlson and Beau McCoy.

In the May 13 primary election, Bruning will also face off against Pete Ricketts, Mike Foley, Bryan Sloan and Chuck Hassebrook.

In a promotional video, Bruning stressed his record of fighting what he says is the overreach of the Obama Administration and the Environmental Protection Agency.

He also talked about lowering property taxes and keeping the state's budget balanced.

"One of the great things about Nebraska is that we've always had a balanced budget," Bruning said in the video. "It's just in our DNA here, we don't spend money that we don't have."

Bruning, attorney general since 2002, unsuccessfully ran for the U.S. Senate in 2008 and 2012.

However, a poll conducted earlier this month shows Bruning as the heavy favorite with 34 percent of voters saying they would support him in the primary, according to conservativeintel.com.

From Legal Newsline: Reach David Yates at elections@legalnewsline.com.