Jason Kander, a 36-year-old Democrat from Missouri, inked a book deal and recently hired a press flack – two signs the Afghanistan war veteran could be considering a presidential run in 2020.
Kander is best known for unsuccessfully running for Senate in 2016 against incumbent Sen. Roy Blunt (R-MO). When all the votes were tallied, Kander lost to Blunt by about three percentage points. Previously, he served one term as Missouri’s secretary of state and two terms as a member of the Missouri House of Representatives.
Undeterred by the political setback of losing to Blunt, Kander launched a podcast called “Majority54” in late 2017.
In February 2017, he launched “Let America Vote,” a nonprofit group that claims its goal is to stop “voter suppression.” The group opposes laws that request voters provide ID before voting. Kander also joined the board of D.C.-based Priorities USA, one of the largest liberal super PACs in the country. Roll Call’s Nathan Gonzalez wrote last year that these moves could hurt another Kander campaign in Missouri:
His alignment with Priorities USA will open the door to Democratic donors all over the country, and Kander’s work against voter suppression could increase his profile among the Democratic activists. But when he runs for something again, Kander’s problems won’t be fundraising. He’ll be able to attract dollars based on the reputation of his last campaign. But now he’ll have to answer for his connections to Democrats far beyond Missouri.
Perhaps aware of that fact, Kander seems hell-bent on skipping Missouri altogether and running nationally, instead. While he’s considered a “rising star” among Democrats, Kanders’ eagerness to skip steps could rub some liberals the wrong way.
And now, the Associated Press is reporting Kander has inked a book deal for “Outside the Wire: Ten Lessons I’ve Learned in Everyday Courage,” which is expected to include old war stories and Kander’s “take on current politics.” The book is scheduled to hit shelves on August 7.
Just last week, Kander raised eyebrows when he hired Des Moines Register political reporter Jason Noble to serve as a press flack for “Let America Vote,” as well as “for Kander himself,” Politico reported.
If Kander, even at age 36, is not ramping up his political operation to run for president in 2020, he certainly wants political insiders to think he is.
