Jason Kander said he ran for mayor as he constantly searched for ways around and denied his PTSD. He went to the Kansas City VA on Monday and has begun getting regular help for his mental health. | Whitney Curtis/Getty Images Elections Kander drops out of Kansas City mayoral race to seek treatment for PTSD

Democratic Kansas City mayoral candidate Jason Kander announced in a Medium post on Tuesday that he will end his campaign to deal with his mental health.

Kander, a former Missouri secretary of state and unsuccessful 2016 Senate candidate, will also back away from his role leading his political engagement group Let America Vote. Kander said his decision came after consulting with mental health resources at the VA — he served as an army intelligence officer in Afghanistan more than 10 years ago and said he continues to deal with PTSD.


In his post, Kander said he ran for mayor as he constantly searched for ways around and denied his PTSD. He went to the Kansas City VA on Monday and has begun getting regular help for his mental health.

"I’m done hiding this from myself and from the world. When I wrote in my book that I was lucky to not have PTSD, I was just trying to convince myself," Kander wrote, referring to his best-selling memoir "Outside the Wire: Ten Lessons I've Learned in Everyday Courage."

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"And I wasn’t sharing the full picture," he continued. "I still have nightmares. I am depressed."

"Once I work through my mental health challenges, I fully intend to be working shoulder to shoulder with all of you again," Kander wrote.

Before announcing his candidacy for mayor, Kander had traveled to several early primary states and met with national Democratic leaders, fueling suspicions of a 2020 presidential run. So his decision earlier this summer to run for mayor caught many by surprise.

Kander was a favorite for the Kansas City mayorship and was slated to raise more money than any other Kansas City mayoral candidate in a single quarter. Kansas City Councilwoman Jolie Justus dropped out of the race to support Kander’s bid.

Quinton Lucas, another mayoral candidate, tweeted his appreciation for Kander’s public discussion of mental health.

“Jason and I have been friends for years. He's always been a leader and he's shown that even more clearly now. Thank you for telling other veterans, and all of us really, that we don't need to suffer in silence. The impact he made today on so many is profound and I'm proud of him,” Lucas wrote.

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