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WEBVTT OF THE RACE. >> AND JASON KANDER IS DROPPING OUT OF THE RACE. >> THE REASON, HE'S SUFFERING FROM WAR-RELATED PTSD AND DEPRESSION. MICHAEL MAHONEY IS LIVE AND TALK ABOUT A BIG SURPRISE HERE. >> REPORTER: IT'S THE BUZZ HERE AT CITY HALL, NO DOUBT ABOUT IT. A LOT OF PEOPLE WERE SURPRISED WHEN JASON KANDER ANNOUNCED EARLIER THIS YEAR HE WAS GETTING CAMPAIGN FOR MAYOR OF KANSAS CITY, MISSOURI AND A LOT OF PEOPLE ARE BEING EVEN MORE SURPRISED THIS EVENING WHEN THEY úARE LEARNING ABOUT WHY HE'S CROPPING OUT. DROPPING OUT. KANDER IS NOT DOING INTERVIEWS ON WHAT HIS SPOKESMAN CALLS ONE OF THE HARDEST DAYS IN HIS LIFE. WROTE, AFTER 11 YEARS OF TRYING TO OUTRUN DEPRESSION AND PTSD, IT HAS OUTRUNNED ME. >> IT WAS ALWAYS FROWNED UPON TO TALK ABOUT TO SOMEBODY IN THE MILITARY. >> REPORTER: THIS MAN STARTED THE VETERANS COMMUNITY PROJECT TO HELP THE VETERANS AND SAID HE WAS AWARE OF THE PROBLEM BEFORE TODAY. KANDER SAID HE WENT TO THE VA ON MONDAY TO START GETTING HELP. SO TO ALLOW ME TO CONCENTRATE ON MY MENTAL HEALTH I WILL NOT BE RUNNING FOR MAYOR OF KANSAS CITY. BEFORE GETTING INTO POLITICS, HE WAS IN THE ARMY. HE DID A BRIEF FOUR-MONTH TOUR IN AFGHANISTAN AS AN INTELLIGENCE OFFICER. HE WROTE, HE KEPT THINKING, I CAN'T HAVE PTSD BECAUSE I DIDN'T EARN IT BUT HE DID SPEAK OF DEPRESSION AND HAVING SUICIDAL THOUGHTS. HE SAID HOPEFULLY GETTING ELECTED MAYOR WOULD FULFILL THAT. >> THIS COMMISSION IS -- >> REPORTER: NOW, THERE ARE EIGHT CANDIDATES WHO ARE RUNNING FOR MAYOR IN KANSAS CITY, MISSOURI. PARTLY BECAUSE THE CURRENT MAYOR, SLY JAMES, IS TERMED OUT. HE CAN'T RUN AGAIN. WITH THAT, JASON KANDER WAS CONSIDERED THE FRONT-RUNNER IN THIS RACE. NOW HE'S DROPPED OUT. AND THAT MAKES THE FIELD FOR THE 2019 MAYOR'S RACE IN KANSAS CITY WIDE OPEN. >> KANDER SAYS HE'S ALSO STEPPING BACK FROM HIS LEADERSHIP ROLE AND HIS GROUP, LET AMERICA VOTE. IF YOU OR SOMEONE ELSE IS DEALING WITH PTSD, THERE'S HELP. THE VA HAS A CRISIS LINE. THAT NUMBER IS THERE ON YOUR SCREEN. IT'S NOT JUST FOR VETERANS. MAYOR JAMES SAID I'M PROUD OF JASON FOR HAVING THE COURAGE T

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Jason Kander announced Tuesday that he is dropping out of the race for Kansas City mayor.Kander said he has contacted the VA to get help for PTSD symptoms."I finally went to the VA in Kansas City yesterday and have started the process to get help there regularly. To allow me to concentrate on my mental health, I’ve decided that I will not be running for mayor of Kansas City. I truly appreciate all the support so many people in Kansas City and across the country have shown me since I started this campaign. But 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 in the statement. Kander said he initially contacted the VA about four months ago. Mike Kenny is a special forces veteran who now leads Warriors' Ascent, a local charity helping veterans and first responders heal from PTS.“That’s pretty brave in that he’s doing the right thing for himself and his family," Kenny said. "I think it’s also a clarion call for others that are dealing with the same issues."Kander said he's dealt with the issue for more than a decade. "It had been about 11 years since I left Afghanistan as an Army Intelligence Officer, and my tour over there still impacted me every day. So many men and women who served our country did so much more than me and were in so much more danger than I was on my four-month tour. I can’t have PTSD, I told myself, because I didn’t earn it"But, on some level, I knew something was deeply wrong, and that it hadn’t felt that way before my deployment," Kander said in the statement. “Seldom is it, ‘Hey I left the service and I knew immediately I needed help’," Kenny said. Kander said that he has been suffering from depression and has had suicidal thoughts."By all objective measures, things have been going well for me the past few months. My first book became a New York Times Bestseller in August. Let America Vote has been incredibly effective, knocking on hundreds of thousands of doors and making hundreds of thousands of phone calls. I know that our work is making a big difference. And last Tuesday, I found out that we were going to raise more money than any Kansas City mayoral campaign ever has in a single quarter. But instead of celebrating that accomplishment, 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," Kander wrote“I think it kind of dispel the stigma of PTS that it’s for veterans that can’t hang," Kenny said. “You can make changes. I think for some people they think, Hey once I’m afflicted with this, that’s it. It’s a done deal.” "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. And I wasn’t sharing the full picture. I still have nightmares. I am depressed," Kander wrote on Facebook.Kansas City Mayor Sly James released the following statement:“I’m proud of Jason for having the courage to share his struggle, and for doing what he needs to do to take care of his health. This could not have been an easy decision, but I know Jason is doing what is right for him and his family, and I’ve never been more proud to call him my friend and colleague. His track record of outstanding service and tireless work ethic have raised the bar for many who aspire to serve in elected office. I applaud his bravery, and will do all I can to help him through his healing process.”