3-term Attorney General Jon Bruning’s bid for the Republican nomination for governor got a big boost today with endorsements from outgoing Governor Dave Heineman and Omaha Mayor Jean Stothert in the fiercely contested GOP primary race.

Heineman, the state’s longest-serving governor and a popular Republican figure in Nebraska, had previously said he might make an endorsement in the race.

He said today that he decided to back Bruning over the other 5 candidates in the GOP primary because of Bruning’s experience in state government, which also includes six years as a state senator.

Stothert said she liked the way Bruning worked his way up and believes he’ll maintain Nebraska’s tradition of governing conservatively.

In the race with Bruning are Omaha businessman Pete Ricketts, Omaha tax attorney Bryan Slone, State Auditor Mike Foley and state Senators Tom Carlson of Holdrege and Beau McCoy of Omaha.

In a statement issued after the endorsements were announced, Ricketts…the GOP’s unsuccessful challenger to Ben Nelson in the 2006 U-S Senate race…cast Bruning as a “status quo” candidate.