Jason Kander | |
|---|---|
.jpg) Kander in 2016 | |
| 39thSecretary 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 theMissouri 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 43) Overland Park, Kansas, U.S. |
| Political party | Democratic |
| Spouse | |
| Children | 2 |
| Relatives | John Kander (grand-uncle) |
| Education | American University (BA) Georgetown University (JD) |
| Website | Campaign website |
| 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)[1] is an American attorney, author, veteran, and politician. ADemocrat, he served as the 39thsecretary of state of Missouri, from 2013 to 2017. He had previously served as a member of theMissouri House of Representatives from 2009 to 2013. Before entering politics, he was an intelligence officer in theArmy Reserve. He served in Afghanistan and achieved the rank ofcaptain.
He was the Democratic nominee for theUnited States Senate forMissouri in2016, losing the election toRepublican incumbentRoy Blunt.[2] After the Senate election, Kander founded an organization called Let America Vote, a campaign dedicated to addressing allegedvoter suppression.[3] Though he was a rumored 2020 presidential candidate making frequent trips to early primary states,[4] he instead declared as a candidate in the2019 Kansas City mayoral election before dropping out on October 2, 2018, while revealing that he suffered fromPTSD anddepression stemming from his service in Afghanistan.[5]
Since 2019, Kander has served as president of national expansion at VCP (Veterans Community Project), a non-profit organization serving homeless and at-risk veterans with tiny homes, wrap-around support services, and emergency assistance.[6]
After the U.S. military withdrew from Afghanistan, Kander led a group of U.S. military veterans in orchestrating "Operation Bella," a private rescue mission named after his then-infant daughter. Kander's initial goal was to evacuate his translator's family. He was successful in doing so, and the family is now a part of his own, living just down the street. Operation Bella involved a fake wedding to fool the Taliban in the process of flying 383 Afghan allies out of the country and beyond the reach of the Taliban.[7] Buoyed by the success of Operation Bella, Kander founded Afghan Rescue Project, a 501c3 non-profit which evacuated thousands of Afghans who assisted the United States and would have otherwise faced brutal Taliban retribution.[8]
Kander was born on May 4, 1981, inOverland Park, Kansas,[9] the son of Janet (née Secor), ajuvenile probation officer, and Steve Kander, apolice officer who later ran a small business.[10][11] He is the nephew of composerJohn Kander, best known for writing the scores ofCabaret andChicago. His father isJewish, and Kander was brought up in aJewish household that he describes as "Reform but not very observant."[12][13] He was raised inShawnee, Kansas, with his younger brother, Jeff, and several troubled children that his parents fostered.[14][15] He graduated fromBishop Miege High School in 1999, where he played on the baseball team[16] and was a nationally competitive debater who won two state championships.[17][18][19]
He attendedAmerican University in Washington, D.C., where he studiedpolitical science.[14]
After theSeptember 11 attacks, Kander enlisted in theArmy National Guard. While earning hisJD degree atGeorgetown University Law Center in the capital, he earned his commission as asecond lieutenant through the university'sROTC battalion.[20]
He completed law school in 2005,[21] and volunteered for a tour in Afghanistan. There he served as anintelligence officer.[22] While serving, his main responsibilities included investigating groups and individuals suspected ofcorruption,espionage,drug trafficking, and facilitatingAl Qaeda and theTaliban.[23]
When he returned home, Kander took a position as an instructor at the Missouri Army National Guard's Officer Candidate School atFort Leonard Wood. He taught 'leadership skills in combat' to hundreds of students.[24][25] He also worked as an adjunct instructor in political science at theUniversity of Missouri–Kansas City, and as an attorney at local law firms.[26] In 2010, he was named one of ten finalists for the Army Reserve Association's Major GeneralStrom Thurmond Outstanding Junior Officer of the Year Award.[27] He was honorably discharged at the rank of captain in 2011.[28]
Heartland Democrats of America (HDA) was apolitical action committee founded in 2005 inKansas City, Missouri, by Kander and his wife, Diana.[14][29] He served as the treasurer until 2007.[30][31] HDA raised over one hundred thousand dollars from special interest groups and individuals in support of Democratic candidates and causes.[32] Notable supporters included current and former state and city elected officials, along with national figures, such asTerry McAuliffe, the formerDemocratic National Committee (DNC) chairman and former Virginia governor;George Lakoff, an author and professor at theUniversity of California, Berkeley; John Halpin, a senior fellow at the liberalCenter for American Progress; and Mark Talisman, an author, Democratic activist, and president of the Project Judaica Foundation.[33]
HDA's mission was to "recognize the need for Democrats to engage in, expand, and ultimately win the 'values debate.' HDA members understand that progress cannot wait for the next campaign season, because Democrats need to start changing minds now. HDA champions strong Democratic values in Missouri and throughout America's Heartland. The era of the apologetic Democrat in middle America is being laid to rest forever – replaced by a unifying values message worthy of the hard-working people of middle America."[34] HDA was officially terminated in 2008.[35]
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Kander was elected to theMissouri House of Representatives in 2008, representing the 44th district. He easily defeated two other Democrats in the primary election, and was unchallenged in the general election.[36]
Serving on the Budget Committee, Kander fought againstno-bid contracts and worked to passbalanced budgets without raising taxes. He helped pass legislation strengthening Missouri'shuman trafficking laws, as well as a law that enabled authorities to preventkidnappings during custody battles. In addition to his legislative duties, he was appointed in 2009 to serve on the Missouri Veterans Commission, which oversees all services for the state's veterans.[23] In 2010, Kander worked with Republican colleague Tim Flook to pass the first major ethics reform bill in Missouri since 1991.[37] Later that year, he ran for re-election to his seat and won 69.6% of the vote to defeat Republican Sally Miller.[38]
During his time in the Missouri House, Kander was the chief sponsor of 28 bills, none of which became law.[39]
Kander announced his candidacy for the Missouri secretary of state afterRobin Carnahan announced she would not seek reelection.[40] He defeated MD Rabbi Alam in the primary election, winning the Democratic nomination.[41]
In the general election, Kander faced the speaker pro tempore of the Missouri House,Shane Schoeller. Schoeller ran on a platform of implementing strictervoter identification rules. By contrast, Kander opposed harsher voter identification rules, instead focusing on reforming the state'scampaign finance laws.[42]
On November 6, 2012, Kander narrowly defeated Schoeller and was elected Missouri secretary of state.[43] At 32 years old, he was the youngest statewide elected official in the nation at the time, as well as the firstmillennial.[44][25]
While in office, Kander made ethics reform one of his top priorities. He admitted this could be "an uphill battle' given that Missouri has had some of the weakest ethics laws in the country and Republicans had supermajorities in both chambers of the state legislature. "I am realistic about the fact that it is not easy to get any legislative body to police itself. There is no interest group inJefferson City called Big Ethics. I just remind legislators of both parties that this is something that the public expects of all of us," he said in 2014.[44]
On February 19, 2015, Kander entered the race to represent Missouri in the United States Senate againstRoy Blunt, the Republican incumbent.[45] He won the Democratic primary against three other candidates on August 2, 2016. During the campaign, he positioned himself as aWashington, D.C., outsider and touted his experience as an Army Intelligence officer.[46] He accused Blunt of being well connected to DC lobbyists (Blunt's wife and three children are in fact lobbyists). Blunt in turn accused Kander of being too liberal.[47]
In September, Kander's campaign received national attention when it released an advertisement explaining his support for gun control measures. Titled "Background Checks", it showed him assembling anAR-15 rifle while blindfolded and then challenging Blunt to attempt the same thing. The advertisement quickly went viral, and as of November 2016, the originalYouTube video had earned more than 1.3 million views.[48][49] Initially, Kander was well behind in the race, but polls started to show a tightening in the fall.[50] In response to this, Blunt campaign began attacking Kander for being a national co-chair for presidential candidateHillary Clinton.[46]
During the campaign, Kander received endorsements fromAmericans for Responsible Solutions,[51]Daily Kos,[52] theLeague of Conservation Voters,[53]Planned Parenthood Action Fund,[54] and theSierra Club.[55]
Kander was defeated by Blunt in the general election, receiving 46.4% of the vote to Blunt's 49.2%. In spite of the loss, Kander received the most votes of any Democrat running statewide in Missouri that year, outperforming Clinton, gubernatorial candidateChris Koster, and other Democrats.[2]
On June 25, 2018, Kander announced that he was running formayor of Kansas City in2019 to replace incumbentSly James, who was term limited.[56][57]
Prior to his announcement, Kander had been repeatedly mentioned as a possible contender for the Democratic nomination in the2020 U.S. presidential election.[58][59][18][60] Speculation about his presidential ambitions had been fueled by his frequent visits to the early primary states ofIowa andNew Hampshire,[61] and Kander had suggested he would consider exploring a bid after the2018 midterm elections were finished.[62] His campaign for mayor effectively put that speculation to rest.[63] In January 2021, Kander confirmed via Twitter that he had been intending to run for president in 2020.[64][65]
Kander dropped out of the mayoral race on October 2, 2018, citing the need to get treatment for symptoms ofPTSD anddepression.[5] He also announced that he would be stepping away temporarily from his work with Let America Vote as he receives treatment.
In November 2020, Kander was named as a potential candidate forSecretary of Veterans Affairs in theBiden administration.[66] Later in December,Denis McDonough was announced as the nominee.[67]
In 2017, Kander became aCNN contributor.[68] He hosts theWonder Media Network podcastMajority 54 with Jason Kander & Ravi Gupta: he and his guests explore how Democrats can talk about divisive issues with people who voted forDonald Trump.[69] In 2018, he published his first book,Outside the Wire: 10 Lessons I've Learned in Everyday Courage, reflecting on the period of his time in the military, to when he launched his first political campaign. He also explores how the Democratic Party should proceed following the2016 U.S. presidential election.[70] In 2022, he published his memoir,Invisible Storm: A Soldier's Memoir of Politics and PTSD, about his journey to post-traumatic growth.[71] Both books were named New York Times Bestsellers.[72][73][74]
Kander has also lent his support to other Democrats running for office, such asJon Ossoff,[75]Phil Murphy,[76]Conor Lamb,[77]Stacey Abrams,[78] andKyrsten Sinema.[79]
In 2017 Kander founded Let America Vote, a political action organization. Its mission is to endvoter suppression andgerrymandering across the country.[3] The group raised approximately $2.4 million in its first year.[80][81][82] Notable members of its advisory board includehuman rights activistMartin Luther King III, actorBradley Whitford, and formerWhite House officialsJosh Earnest,Jon Favreau, andDan Pfeiffer.[83] In his capacity as president of Let America Vote, Kander also serves as chairman of the DNC's Commission on Protecting American Democracy from theTrump administration. CongresswomanTerri Sewell serves as vice chair.[84]
He considers overturningCitizens United v. FEC a political priority.[39] In addition to helping pass ethics reform while a state representative, while serving as secretary of state, he forbade his office employees from taking any gifts from lobbyists.[85]
Kander supports theEvery Student Succeeds Act of 2015, which replaced theNo Child Left Behind Act of 2001.[85]
For higher education, he supports capping interest rates on federal student loans and expandingPell Grants to provide more aid to low-income students. He believes students who have graduated need to be able to refinance their loans at lower rates.[86]
Kander supports tax breaks for the middle class and closing tax loopholes for corporations.[87] He is in favor of increasing thefederal minimum wage, and for ensuringequal pay for equal work. He is supportive of adding abalanced budget amendment to theUnited States Constitution.[85]
Ahead of the August 7, 2018, referendum on Proposition A to adoptright-to-work laws in Missouri, Kander campaigned in opposition to the proposition.[88][89][90]
Kander is skeptical of theIran nuclear deal.[85] He ispro-Israel and has called on Congress to stop theBoycott, Divestment and Sanctions movement.[91]
In 2009, Kander voted against a bill that would have extended to renters theCastle Doctrine (a doctrine that allows a homeowner to use deadly force against a perceived intruder). The bill would have also lowered the age requirement for a concealed carry permit and would have removed a ban on carrying a gun on a college campus. TheNRA Political Victory Fund gave Kander an "F" rating and spent nearly $1 million against him in 2016 (the most money against any candidate that year outside ofOhio).[92][93][94]
Kander supports improving thePatient Protection and Affordable Care Act. He has proposed changing the 30-hour workweek used to define full-time employees, allowing cheaper plans for people who do not require medical care, and repealing the long-delayedCadillac tax. He is in favor of apublic health insurance option, but also supportssingle-payer healthcare.[95][96] He believes states should take advantage of theMedicaid expansion the law provided.[87]
Kander ispro-choice but is in favor of retaining theHyde Amendment.[85]
Kander was critical of Republican senators who refused to meet withSupreme Court nomineeMerrick Garland, citing it as an example of Washington dysfunction. He believes senators should meet with all Supreme Court nominees.[85]
Kander supports the 2015United States Supreme Court ruling inObergefell v. Hodges that deemed theDefense of Marriage Act unconstitutional.[97] While a state legislator, he co-sponsored the Missouri Non-discrimination Act (MONA); the bill never became law. Regardless, as secretary of state, he implemented a non-discrimination policy for the office's hiring practices that would have conformed to MONA had it become law. He supports passing the federalEquality Act into law.[98]
On immigration policy, Kander is supportive of thebipartisan immigration bill of 2013 that passed the Senate but was never considered by the House.[85] He is opposed to closing the detention camp atGuantanamo Bay but also voted against a measure to prevent Missouri from housing, transporting, or providing medical care to any prisoners suspected of terrorism.[99]
Kander opposes theTrans-Pacific Partnership, believing it hurts working-class families and encourages sending jobs overseas.[85] He is, however, in favor of modernizing theCuban embargo to allow American farmers and ranchers to sell their goods intoCuba.[100]
Kander is against privatizingSocial Security. OnMedicare, he believes the government should be using its marketplace clout to negotiate lower prescription drug prices. He also believes both programs can be strengthened by eliminating wasteful government spending in other sectors.[101]
On April 19, 2018, Kander was honored for his commitment to integrity in government with theJames C. Kirkpatrick Excellence in Governance Award by thestudent government association at theUniversity of Central Missouri. At the ceremony, he encouraged the audience to remain confident in the promise of America and to serve wherever they find the opportunity.[102]
On May 8, 2023, Kander received the Truman Foundation's Good Neighbor Award. Previous honorees include Supreme Court justices, top journalists, humanitarians, and even U.S. presidents.[103]
On May 19, 2023, Georgetown University bestowed upon Kander an honorary doctorate in humane letters in conjunction with his delivery of that year's commencement address.[104]
Kander married hishigh school sweetheart, entrepreneur and author Diana Kander (née Kagan) in 2003.[105][21][18] Diana and her family emigrated fromOdesa in theSoviet Union in 1989. The couple has one son named True, who was born in September 2013, and one daughter named Bella, who was born in September 2020.[21]
Kander is the grand-nephew of musical composerJohn Kander, whose best-known works includeCabaret andChicago.[106] He is a distant relative ofLizzie Black Kander, author ofThe Settlement Cookbook.[107] He is an avid fan of theKansas City Royals.[60][39]
Kander also plays centerfield for the Kansas City Hustlers of the National Men's Adult Baseball League.[16]
Kander, 36, was born in Kansas to a Jewish father and a non-Jewish mother...Kander describes his family as Reform but not very observant.
| Missouri House of Representatives | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Jenee Lowe | Member of theMissouri House of Representatives from the 44th district 2009–2013 | Succeeded by |
| Political offices | ||
| Preceded by | Secretary of State of Missouri 2013–2017 | Succeeded by |
| Party political offices | ||
| Preceded by | Democratic nominee forSecretary of State of Missouri 2012 | Succeeded by Robin Smith |
| Democratic nominee forU.S. Senator from Missouri (Class 3) 2016 | Succeeded by | |