He was the front runner candidate of the AfD in the state of Thuringia for the 2017 German federal election.

He became an industrial management assistant (Industriekaufmann) and then studied law at Universität Regensburg.

He is member of KStV Agilolfia Regensburg in Kartellverband katholischer deutscher Studentenvereine.

Social Democratic politicians and associations of German lawyers called on Brandner to resign from his office as chairman of the Bundestag's Legal Affairs Committee.

[1][2] Brandner is close to the positions of the ultra-nationalist wing (Der Flügel) within the AfD.