A native of Petersburg, IL, Brauer upset incumbent Gwen Klingler in the 2002 Republican primary, after re-districting resulted in rural areas outside of Springfield being in his district.

The Democrats had not even run a candidate in the primary, for this office, expecting Klingler to win, but placed former Republican elected official Carl Oblinger, son of former state legislator Josephine Oblinger, on the ballot as their nominee for the general election.

[citation needed] During the 2008 Republican Party presidential primaries, Brauer ran to be a delegate to the 2008 Republican National Convention from Illinois's 18th congressional district for the presidential campaign of former Governor Mitt Romney.

[1] On February 18, 2015, just three months after winning re-election, Brauer submitted his letter of resignation to the Clerk of the Illinois House of Representatives.

[2] Hours after his resignation, it was announced that Bruce Rauner would appoint him Assistant Secretary of the Illinois Department of Transportation.