ABOUT JASON KANDER  
ATTORNEY - SOLDIER - EDUCATOR - ACTIVIST

A fifth generation Kansas Citian, Jason Kander learned early in life about his family's ethic of community service. His mother was a social worker and his father was a police officer and a small business owner. The Kanders shared their home with several boys in need and Jason came to call these other boys his brothers. Today, they are among his closest friends and serve as a reminder that helping others is its own reward.

After graduating with his brothers from Bishop Miege High School, Jason headed to college and law school in Washington, DC. He graduated with honors from American University, where he majored in political science. He married his high school sweetheart, Diana, and together they graduated from Georgetown Law School, returning home to Kansas City the very next day.

A former Political Science Instructor at the University of Missouri-Kansas City, Jason has debated politics and foreign affairs on local and national radio with some of America's most notable pundits. He has advised Members of Congress regarding foreign policy and has volunteered for countless Democratic candidates in Missouri.

After the 2004 elections, Jason and Diana founded Heartland Democrats of America, an organization that promotes progressive values in rural and suburban Missouri.

Today, Jason is a civil justice attorney with pro bono experience representing victims of domestic violence.

Though he opposed the war in Iraq, Jason enlisted in the Army Reserve after 9/11 and volunteered for combat duty in Afghanistan.

A decorated veteran, Jason served in an infantry unit before receiving his commission as a Military Intelligence Officer. In 2006, he left his home and his legal practice to deploy to Afghanistan, where he conducted classified intelligence investigations regarding groups and individuals suspected of espionage, narcotics trafficking, corruption, and facilitating Al Qaeda and the Taliban.

As the Political-Military Intelligence Officer for U.S. Forces, he became an expert regarding all political and military threats to Afghan democracy. In an unclassified evaluation, the U.S. Director of Intelligence in Afghanistan said the following about Jason's time there:

"Second Lieutenant (2LT) Kander is an outstanding leader and a superb intelligence officer … his hard work directly resulted in arresting enemies and saving lives … leading by example, 2LT Kander volunteered as a shooter [and commander] on several convoys, one of the only officers to volunteer for force protection duty … he improved intelligence support to information operations by joining a psyop special operations team on a four day mission … his contributions will have a lasting and positive effect [in Afghanistan] for many years … track this officer's career closely; he is one of the best."

After he returned from Afghanistan in 2007, Jason began to think seriously about the human consequences of policies implemented for political reasons and the examples he witnessed overseas. Concluding that this same "politics first" mentality was to blame for Missouri's healthcare, education, and environmental challenges, he finalized his decision to run for State Representative. As a progressive Democratic voice in the State House, Jason will work tirelelessly to make the debate about human dignity, not political strategy.

In addition to the campaign, Jason practices law out of his office in Waldo. He is still in the Army Reserve and serves as an Instructor one weekend per month at Fort Leonard Wood, where he prepares new Army officers for leadership in combat.

Though Jason's family has been in Kansas City for over a century, Diana came to Kansas City in 1990 as a refugee from the Soviet Union. An attorney and business executive, she is heavily involved in several local organizations that promote equal rights.

The Kanders live in Waldo and attend New Reform Temple. Their hobbies include reading, exercising, and spending time with their two pampered dogs, Shelby and Winston.