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| Democratic rising star quits Kansas City mayor race to seek PTSD treatment | Democratic rising star quits Kansas City mayor race to seek PTSD treatment |
| (35 minutes later) | |
| Jason Kander, a rising star in the Democratic party and military veteran running for mayor of Kansas City, has dropped out of the race to seek treatment for PTSD and depression. | Jason Kander, a rising star in the Democratic party and military veteran running for mayor of Kansas City, has dropped out of the race to seek treatment for PTSD and depression. |
| Kander, 37, who served in Afghanistan as an army intelligence officer more than a decade ago, announced his departure in an emotional letter posted online. | Kander, 37, who served in Afghanistan as an army intelligence officer more than a decade ago, announced his departure in an emotional letter posted online. |
| “I’m done hiding this from myself and from the world,” he said. “I still have nightmares. I am depressed.” | “I’m done hiding this from myself and from the world,” he said. “I still have nightmares. I am depressed.” |
| He went on: “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.” | He went on: “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.” |
| Kander was considered a frontrunner in the mayoral race, and said his campaign raised more money in a single quarter than any mayoral campaign in Kansas City, Missouri, ever has. | |
| A former Missouri secretary of state, he gained prominence after founding the non-profit Let America Vote, which combats voter suppression. He wrote a bestselling book, Outside the Wire, where he said he was lucky not to suffer from PTSD. | A former Missouri secretary of state, he gained prominence after founding the non-profit Let America Vote, which combats voter suppression. He wrote a bestselling book, Outside the Wire, where he said he was lucky not to suffer from PTSD. |
| He acknowledged on Tuesday that that was not true, and that he feared the stigma associated with the condition. | He acknowledged on Tuesday that that was not true, and that he feared the stigma associated with the condition. |
| “When I wrote in my book that I was lucky to not have PTSD, I was just trying to convince myself. And I wasn’t sharing the full picture,” he said. | “When I wrote in my book that I was lucky to not have PTSD, I was just trying to convince myself. And I wasn’t sharing the full picture,” he said. |
| Kander said he hoped his success could help him move beyond his trauma, but it has not. | Kander said he hoped his success could help him move beyond his trauma, but it has not. |
| “Instead of dealing with these issues, I’ve always tried to find a way around them. Most recently, I thought that if I could come home and work for the city I love so much as its mayor, I could finally solve my problems,” 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.” | “Instead of dealing with these issues, I’ve always tried to find a way around them. Most recently, I thought that if I could come home and work for the city I love so much as its mayor, I could finally solve my problems,” 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 contacted Veterans Affairs four months ago to get help, but still wasn’t able to grapple with his condition – filling out online forms but failing to check boxes for the correct symptoms because he feared the stigma and the effect on his political career if someone found out. | Kander said he contacted Veterans Affairs four months ago to get help, but still wasn’t able to grapple with his condition – filling out online forms but failing to check boxes for the correct symptoms because he feared the stigma and the effect on his political career if someone found out. |
| “I found myself on the phone with the VA’s Veterans Crisis Line, tearfully conceding that, yes, I have had suicidal thoughts. And it wasn’t the first time,” he said. | “I found myself on the phone with the VA’s Veterans Crisis Line, tearfully conceding that, yes, I have had suicidal thoughts. And it wasn’t the first time,” he said. |
| The former candidate now plans to seek more intensive treatment. He will also step back from day-to-day operations at Let America Vote. | The former candidate now plans to seek more intensive treatment. He will also step back from day-to-day operations at Let America Vote. |
| The mayoral election is next year. “To allow me to concentrate on my mental health, I’ve decided that I will not be running for mayor of Kansas City,” Kander wrote. “I can’t work on myself and run a campaign the way I want to at the same time, so I’m choosing to work on my depression.” | The mayoral election is next year. “To allow me to concentrate on my mental health, I’ve decided that I will not be running for mayor of Kansas City,” Kander wrote. “I can’t work on myself and run a campaign the way I want to at the same time, so I’m choosing to work on my depression.” |
| Kander said he chose to publicly reveal his reasons for dropping out in order to encourage other veterans to get help, and plans to return to public life once he has dealt with his mental health challenges. | Kander said he chose to publicly reveal his reasons for dropping out in order to encourage other veterans to get help, and plans to return to public life once he has dealt with his mental health challenges. |
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