Jason Kander | |
|---|---|
.jpg) 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 May 4, 1981 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) |
| 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. A Democrat, he served as the 39th secretary of state of Missouri, from 2013 to 2017. He had previously served as a member of the Missouri House of Representatives from 2009 to 2013. Before entering politics, he was an intelligence officer in the Army Reserve. He served in Afghanistan and achieved the rank of captain.
He was the Democratic nominee for the United States Senate for Missouri in 2016, losing the election to Republican incumbent Roy Blunt.[2] After the Senate election, Kander founded an organization called Let America Vote, a campaign dedicated to ending voter 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 the 2019 Kansas City mayoral election before dropping out on October 2, 2018, while revealing that he suffered from PTSD and depression 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]
- ^ Kraske, Steve (May 12, 2015). "Missouri is no longer home to the youngest statewide official". Kansas City Star. Retrieved August 17, 2018.
- ^ "Missouri Results". The New York Times. Retrieved November 9, 2016.
- ^ Murphy, Doyle (February 7, 2017). "Jason Kander Launches Let America Vote to Fight Voter Suppression". Riverfront Times. Archived from the original on March 20, 2017. Retrieved March 19, 2017.
- ^ "Rumored 2020 candidate Jason Kander is running ... For mayor of Kansas City | CNN Politics". CNN. June 25, 2018.
- ^ Cite error: The named reference
Turquewas invoked but never defined (see the help page). - ^ "Jason Kander to lead national expansion of KC group combating veterans' homelessness". Kansas City Star. July 15, 2019.
- ^ "Whatever happened to Jason Kander? He's been operating daring rescues overseas". February 18, 2024. Retrieved March 25, 2024.
- ^ "Jason Kander Group has Rescued Thousands of Afghan Allies to U-S, More Remain". September 9, 2022.