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Kander in 2016

39th Secretary of State of Missouri
In office January 14, 2013 – January 9, 2017
Governor	Jay Nixon
Preceded by	Robin Carnahan
Succeeded by	Jay Ashcroft
Member of the Missouri House of Representatives from the 44th district
In office January 12, 2009 – January 14, 2013
Preceded by	Jenee Lowe
Succeeded by	Caleb Rowden

Personal details
Born	Jason David Kander (1981-05-04) May 4, 1981 (age 44) Overland Park, Kansas, U.S.
Political party	Democratic
Spouse	Diana Kagan (m. 2003)
Children	2
Relatives	John Kander (grand-uncle)
Education	American University (BA) Georgetown University (JD)
Military service
Allegiance	United States
Branch/service	United States Army
Years of service	2003–2011
Rank	Captain
Unit	Missouri National Guard
Battles/wars	War in Afghanistan

Jason David Kander (born May 4, 1981) is an American lawyer, writer, and former politician. He is a member of the Democratic Party. Kander served as the 39th Secretary of State of Missouri from 2013 to 2017. Before that, he was a member of the Missouri House of Representatives from 2009 to 2013. He also served as an intelligence officer in the Army Reserve and was a captain. He served in Afghanistan.

After his time in the Senate election, Kander started an organization called Let America Vote. This group works to stop things that make it harder for people to vote. He also ran for mayor of Kansas City in 2019 but stopped his campaign. He shared that he was dealing with PTSD and depression from his military service. Since 2019, Kander has been the president of national expansion at VCP (Veterans Community Project). This group helps homeless and at-risk veterans. After the U.S. military left Afghanistan, Kander helped lead "Operation Bella." This was a private mission to help Afghan allies leave the country safely. He then started the Afghan Rescue Project, a non-profit that helped thousands more Afghans.

Early Life and School
Military Service
Political Career
Other Work
- Let America Vote
Political Views
Awards
Personal Life and Family
Images for kids
See also

Early Life and School

Jason Kander was born on May 4, 1981, in Overland Park, Kansas. His mother, Janet, was a probation officer, and his father, Steve, was a police officer. Jason grew up in Shawnee, Kansas, with his younger brother, Jeff. His family also fostered several children.

He went to Bishop Miege High School and graduated in 1999. While there, he played baseball and was on the debate team. After high school, he studied political science at American University in Washington, D.C. Later, he earned his law degree from Georgetown University Law Center.

Military Service

After the September 11 attacks, Kander joined the Army National Guard. While studying law, he became a second lieutenant through his university's ROTC program. After finishing law school in 2005, he volunteered to serve in Afghanistan. There, he worked as an intelligence officer.

When he returned home, Kander taught leadership skills to soldiers at Fort Leonard Wood. He also taught political science at the University of Missouri–Kansas City. He worked as a lawyer too. In 2011, he was honorably discharged from the Army as a captain.

Political Career

Missouri House of Representatives

Kander with former Kansas City Mayor Richard L. Berkley in July 2011

In 2008, Kander was elected to the Missouri House of Representatives. He represented the 44th district. He won easily in the primary election and had no opponent in the general election.

While in the House, Kander worked on the Budget Committee. He tried to stop unfair contracts and helped pass balanced budgets without raising taxes. In 2009, he joined the Missouri Veterans Commission. This group helps oversee services for veterans in the state. In 2010, Kander helped pass a major ethics reform bill. This was the first one in Missouri since 1991. He was re-elected to his seat that year, winning with 69.6% of the votes.

Missouri Secretary of State

Kander visiting Fort Leonard Wood in November 2013

Kander decided to run for Missouri secretary of state when the previous one, Robin Carnahan, chose not to run again. He won the Democratic nomination in the primary election.

In the main election, Kander ran against Shane Schoeller. Schoeller wanted stricter rules for voter identification. Kander, however, was against harsher voter ID rules. He focused on changing laws about how political campaigns are funded. On November 6, 2012, Kander won the election. He became the Missouri secretary of state. At 32 years old, he was the youngest statewide elected official in the country. He was also the first millennial to hold such a position.

While in office, Kander made ethics reform a top goal. He knew it would be hard because Missouri had weak ethics laws. He also knew Republicans had many seats in the state legislature. He told lawmakers that the public expected them to be ethical. He also made a rule that his office employees could not take gifts from lobbyists.

2016 U.S. Senate Election

On February 19, 2015, Kander announced he would run for the United States Senate in Missouri. He ran against Roy Blunt, who was already in office. Kander won the Democratic primary election on August 2, 2016. During his campaign, he said he was an outsider to Washington, D.C. He also talked about his experience as an Army Intelligence officer.

Kander lost the general election to Blunt. He received 46.4% of the votes, while Blunt got 49.2%. Even though he lost, Kander received more votes than any other Democrat running statewide in Missouri that year.

2019 Mayoral Election

Mayoral campaign logo

On June 25, 2018, Kander announced he was running for mayor of Kansas City. He wanted to replace the current mayor, Sly James. Before this, many people thought Kander might run for president in 2020. He had visited states where early presidential elections are held. His decision to run for mayor ended that idea.

Kander stopped his mayoral campaign on October 2, 2018. He said he needed treatment for PTSD and depression. These issues came from his time serving in Afghanistan. He also said he would take a break from his work with Let America Vote to get treatment.

Other Work

In 2017, Kander became a contributor for CNN. He hosts a podcast called Majority 54 with Jason Kander & Ravi Gupta. On the podcast, he and his guests talk about how Democrats can discuss difficult topics with people who voted for Donald Trump.

In 2018, he published his first book, Outside the Wire: 10 Lessons I've Learned in Everyday Courage. This book talks about his time in the military and his first political campaign. In 2022, he published his memoir, Invisible Storm: A Soldier's Memoir of Politics and PTSD. Both books became New York Times Bestsellers.

Let America Vote

In 2017, Kander started an organization called Let America Vote. Its goal is to stop voter suppression and gerrymandering across the country. Voter suppression makes it harder for people to vote. Gerrymandering is when voting districts are drawn unfairly. The group raised about $2.4 million in its first year. Important people on its advisory board include human rights activist Martin Luther King III and actor Bradley Whitford.

Political Views

Campaign Finance

Kander believes it is important to change laws about how political campaigns are funded. He thinks that the Supreme Court decision in Citizens United v. FEC should be overturned. This decision allowed more money into politics. While he was Secretary of State, he made sure his employees did not take gifts from lobbyists.

Education

Kander supports the Every Student Succeeds Act of 2015. This law replaced an older education law called the No Child Left Behind Act. For college education, he wants to limit interest rates on federal student loans. He also supports giving more Pell Grants to students who need financial help. He believes students should be able to refinance their loans at lower rates.

Healthcare

Kander wants to improve the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, also known as Obamacare. He has suggested changes like allowing cheaper health plans for people who do not need much medical care. He supports a public health insurance option. This would let people choose a government-run health insurance plan. He also thinks states should use the Medicaid expansion that the law provides.

Gun Control

In 2009, Kander voted against a bill about gun laws. This bill would have allowed renters to use deadly force against intruders. It also would have lowered the age for a concealed carry permit. The National Rifle Association (NRA) gave Kander an "F" rating. The NRA spent nearly $1 million against him in 2016.

Awards

On April 19, 2018, Kander received the James C. Kirkpatrick Excellence in Governance Award. This award honored his commitment to honesty in government. He received it from the student government at the University of Central Missouri.

On May 8, 2023, Kander was given the Truman Foundation's Good Neighbor Award. Many famous people have received this award before him. On May 19, 2023, Georgetown University gave Kander an honorary doctorate degree. He also gave the commencement speech at the graduation ceremony that year.

Personal Life and Family

Kander married his high school sweetheart, Diana Kagan, in 2003. Diana and her family moved from Odesa in the Soviet Union in 1989. Jason and Diana have two children. Their son, True, was born in September 2013. Their daughter, Bella, was born in September 2020.

Jason Kander is the grand-nephew of the famous musical composer John Kander. John Kander wrote music for popular shows like Cabaret and Chicago. Jason is also a distant relative of Lizzie Black Kander, who wrote The Settlement Cookbook. He is a big fan of the Kansas City Royals baseball team.