Jon Bramnick

Jon M. Bramnick (born February 24, 1953) is an American Republican Party politician and comedian, who has served in the New Jersey Senate since 2022, representing the 21st legislative district. He previously served in the New Jersey General Assembly, representing the 21st Legislative District from 2003 to 2022, where he was the Assembly Republican Leader from January 2012 to January 2022. He was appointed to the Assembly in 2003 to fill the unexpired term of the vacancy created upon the selection of Thomas Kean Jr. to fill an unexpired New Jersey Senate term. He was elected to a full two-year term later that year and was re-elected in 2005, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2013, 2015, 2017, and 2019. He was elected to the New Jersey Senate in 2021 and was re-elected in 2023. In January 2024, Bramnick announced he was running for Governor of New Jersey in 2025.

Early life
Bramnick was born and raised in Plainfield, New Jersey to his father Herbert X. Bramnick, and his wife, Babette. His parents ran Lazaar's Stationers, a business in Plainfield. He graduated from Plainfield High School, received a B.A. in Political Science from the Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs at Syracuse University and was awarded a J.D. from the Hofstra University School of Law.

Before becoming an Assemblyman, Bramnick served two terms on the Plainfield City Council from 1984 to 1991 for the second ward. In 1998, Bramnick ran for the Westfield City Council for the first ward. He won the primary, however he lost the general election. He is the Republican Municipal Chairman in Westfield, where he resides with his family. Bramnick is a former professor at both Rutgers University and Rider University. Following his graduation from law school, he served as an assistant corporation counsel in New York City. He is an attorney with a private practice in Scotch Plains, New Jersey with the firm of Bramnick, Rodriguez, Grabas, Arnold & Mangan.

New Jersey Assembly
Following the appointment of Tom Kean, Jr. to the State Senate, a vacancy opened up in the 21st District's Assembly delegation. Bramnick won the most ballots of a vote by members of the Essex, Morris, Somerset, and Union county Republican committee persons of the district beating former Assemblyman James J. Barry, Jr., Millburn mayor Thomas McDermott, and Warren Township Planning Board chairman Dan Gallic. In December 2005 he was appointed Assistant Minority Whip of the Assembly for the 2006–2008 term. In June 2007, Bramnick was selected as the Minority Whip, succeeding Francis J. Blee. In November 2009, he was elected as the Republican Conference Leader, the second-highest leadership position in the Republican caucus. In the Assembly, he has served as Vice Chair of the Legislative Services Commission. After the death of Assembly Republican Leader Alex DeCroce in January 2012, the Assembly Republican caucus chose Bramnick as its new leader. Bramnick has been honored with the 2013 Governor Meyner Award from the Bar Association and the 2011 Legislator of the Year award from the Chamber of Commerce. He was named 2013 Legislator of the Year by the New Jersey Conference of Mayors and was honored at Rider University for his dedication to New Jersey politics and public service. On January 3, 2017, Bramnick announced that he would not run for New Jersey governor in 2017, as he was seen as a potential frontrunner for the Republican gubernatorial nomination.

Committee assignments
Committee assignments for the 2024—2025 Legislative Session are:
 * Commerce
 * Judiciary

District 21
Each of the 40 districts in the New Jersey Legislature has one representative in the New Jersey Senate and two members in the New Jersey General Assembly. The representatives from the 21st District for the 2024—2025 Legislative Session are:
 * Senator Jon Bramnick (R)
 * Assemblywoman Michele Matsikoudis (R)
 * Assemblywoman Nancy Munoz (R)

Political positions
Bramnick is widely described as a moderate Republican.

Abortion
Bramnick supports abortion rights, and described himself as being in favor of Roe v Wade. In 2022, he abstained on a vote to codify abortion into New Jersey state law, saying that the bill "went too far." In 2024, he described himself as "a pro-choice Republican."

Donald Trump
Bramnick has been critical of former president Donald Trump, with a NorthJersey.com article describing him as a "Never Trumper". He has criticised Trump's attempts to overturn the 2020 election, saying "I think it is dangerous to democracy that anytime a president who says, 'I won,' and then says there is illegality and fraud, and then does not produce it". In 2022, Bramnick said that Trump's presidency "caused a problem for the Republican brand", adding that "ever since January 6, people are concerned whether or not they can trust the Republicans."

Drugs
Bramnick is an opponent of the legalization of recreational marijuana, saying he "doesn't deny" using marijuana while in college but is "not a fan" of its legalization.

Guns
Bramnick received an "A+" rating from the NRA Political Victory Fund in 2015 and 2017, though this declined to a "C" grade for 2019, 2021 and 2023. During the 2019 electoral campaign, Bramnick was accused by his opponents of being an opponent of gun control. Bramnick rejected these claims, saying he had voted for universal background checks and limiting handgun purchases, and that he supported a federal ban on assault weapons.

LGBT rights
In 2013, Governor Chris Christie vetoed a bill that would have legalized gay marriage in New Jersey. Bramnick opposed gay marriage and expressed his agreement with the governor. Bramnick described marriage equality as not being a civil rights issue, rather "something for the voters". When Christie decided not to appeal New Jersey's Supreme Court decision legalizing same-sex marriage, Bramnick said it was "a smart thing" to not appeal. In 2021, Bramnick abstained on the bill that codified marriage equality into law in New Jersey.

Personal life
Bramnick holds the honorary title of "Funniest Lawyer in New Jersey" after winning contests sponsored by the bar association at Rascals Comedy Club. He often volunteers his services as a comedic auctioneer on behalf of non-profit organizations including Hurricane Sandy victims. Bramnick resides in Westfield, New Jersey with his wife Patricia (married in 1981), and has two grown children and a granddaughter. He is Jewish.

On March 11, 2019, Bramnick self-published a book titled Why People Don’t Like You which is a comedy book about social skills.