From 1996 to 2002, he was a California State Assemblyman representing the 36th Assembly District, which at the time consisted of portions of Los Angeles County.

[1] Born in Scotia, New York, Runner moved with his family to Lancaster, California as a young child.

[citation needed] On February 3, 2010, Runner introduced SB 944, the nation's first Ronald Reagan Day legislation.

[7] On July 19, 2010, Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger signed the bill into law, making California the first state in the union to have a permanent Ronald Reagan Day.

Since 2009, Runner has served with Americans for Prosperity as a taxpayer advocate on local tax issues in California.

[16] Runner won the November 2010 general election for the seat, defeating Democrat tax attorney Chris Parker.

[18] During his time on the Board, Runner has sought to improve California's tax policies and practices and to create and retain more private sector jobs in that state.

[19] Among his accomplishments, Runner cites helping end a requirement that new businesses provide a security deposit to the Board, resulting in the return of hundreds of millions of dollars worth of security back to business owners; leading a successful effort to reform an inefficient use tax collection program aimed at small businesses; and clarifying that farmers who purchase solar equipment are eligible for the same tax exemptions as those who purchase diesel generators.

[22] He easily won re-election, besting Democrat Chris Parker by wide margins in both the June primary and November general elections.

[citation needed] Major League Baseball player Casey Fien is Runner's nephew.