Kander, rising Democratic star, quits Kansas City mayor race citing PTSD/depression
Jason Kander, whose future seemed boundless after he nearly upset a longtime Republican incumbent in the 2016 Missouri Senate race, abruptly put his political career on hold Tuesday as he made public his private battles with mental health.
In a searingly honest first-person account, the former Missouri secretary of state and veteran of the war in Afghanistan said he was ending his bid for mayor of Kansas City to seek treatment for depression and post-traumatic stress disorder.
"I'm done hiding this from myself and from the world," Kander writes. "After 11 years of trying to outrun depression and PTSD symptoms, I have finally concluded that it's faster than me. That I have to stop running, turn around, and confront it."
At the start of the summer, the 37-year-old was talked about as a credible presidential candidate and had visited Iowa in New Hampshire under the auspices of a new organization, Let America Vote, that fought voter suppression efforts across the country.
Though he lost to Missouri Sen. Roy Blunt in 2016, the narrow margin in his race came despite President Trump beating Hillary Clinton there by double digits. His television ad, in which he assembled an assault weapon while blindfolded, went viral and put him on the radar with top Democrats including President Obama, who talked about him as one of a small group with the talent and ability to lead the party in the future.
But in June, he surprised many by announcing he would instead run for mayor of his home town. Kander now writes that his political efforts were in part a way for him to ignore his personal battles. Four months ago when he first considered seeking treatment through the Veterans Administration, he said he still found himself not being fully honest about his symptoms for fear that it could be used against him in the political arena.
"Instead of dealing with these issues, I've always tried to find a way around them," he said. "I thought if I focused exclusively on service to my neighbors in my hometown, that I could fill the hole inside of me. But it's just getting worse."
Kander said he decided to share his full story now in part to help other veterans dealing with mental health issues realize they can and should seek treatment.
"Most people probably didn't see me as someone that could be depressed and have had PTSD symptoms for over decade, but I am and I have. If you're struggling with something similar, it's OK. That doesn't make you less of a person," he said.
In addition to leaving the mayoral race Kander said he would step back from day-to-day responsibilities at Let America Vote. But he said he fully intends to reengage in politics when he works through his mental health challenges.