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Jason Kander, a war veteran who became a rising star in the Democratic Party, abruptly dropped out of the Kansas City mayoral race Tuesday, saying he needed to focus on healing from post-traumatic stress disorder.
“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 wrote in a lengthy and strikingly candid post on his Facebook page.
Mr. Kander, 37, who deployed to Afghanistan as an Army intelligence officer in 2006, was the clear front-runner in the race. He is best known for nearly beating Missouri’s incumbent Republican senator, Roy Blunt, in a dark-horse campaign in 2016. In a year when Republicans in the state garnered huge wins, and Hillary Clinton lost by 19 points, Mr. Kander came within three points of taking the seat.
During the 2016 campaign, he also gained national attention for a viral ad in which he assembled an assault rifle blindfolded while criticizing Republicans who attacked him over his support for background checks for gun purchases. It got 1.6 million views, and earned Mr. Kander a reputation as a plain-talking, red state progressive who could have national appeal.
After losing the election, he formed Let America Vote, a nonprofit voting rights group, and began appearing at political gatherings in Iowa and New Hampshire, a signal that he was considering a presidential run.
On Tuesday, though, he put political ambitions on hold, saying that his efforts to deal with lingering issues of war on his own had failed.
“By all objective measures, things have been going well for me the past few months,” he wrote, noting that he had a best-selling book, an effective nonprofit, and was breaking records with his campaign’s fund-raising. “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.”
The United States has a long list of combat veterans, from George Washington to John McCain, who have built successful political careers, and many have talked openly about their struggles to put their war experience behind them. But Mr. Kander’s transparent acknowledgment of his struggles and decision to seek help is unprecedented, said Paul Rieckhoff, founder of Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America.
“Few people have the courage and vulnerability to admit the problem to themselves,” Mr. Rieckhoff said. “Mr. Kander is leading by example, and I think he will show veterans everywhere that it is O.K. to get help.”
Suicide is a growing problem in young veterans, Mr. Rieckhoff added. His group plans to help plant more than 5,000 flags on the National Mall on Wednesday to memorialize veterans who died by suicide just this year.
“I felt fearful, way beyond anything I’d ever felt before,” he wrote. “This was, for the first time in my life, the raw, physical fear of being killed.”
When he returned to Kansas City, he wrote that he was ridden with guilt and anger, and plagued for years by nightmares. He minimized his symptoms, even to himself, because he felt nothing he experienced was harrowing enough to warrant professional treatment.
“Instead of dealing with these issues, I’ve always tried to find a way around them,” he wrote on Facebook. “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.”
He said he went to a Veterans Affairs hospital Monday to begin regular treatment, and would curtail his voter registration efforts to focus on healing.
“Most people probably didn’t see me as someone that could be depressed and have had PTSD symptoms for over decade, but I am and I have. If you’re struggling with something similar, it’s OK. That doesn’t make you less of a person,” he concluded.
The mayoral race had drawn nine candidates, but many saw Mr. Kander as the clear favorite. The election will be held in June.
The current Kansas City mayor, Sly James, a Marine veteran who cannot run again because of term limits, voiced support for Mr. Kander in a 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,” Mr. James said. “I applaud his bravery, and will do all I can to help him through his healing process.”
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