 He was a candidate in the 2012 United States Senate election in Nebraska, losing the Republican nomination to Deb Fischer and in the 2014 Nebraska gubernatorial election, also losing the nomination to Pete Ricketts.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 with High Distinction.