Former Missouri Secretary of State Jason Kander is looking to throw his hat into the race to be the next mayor of Kansas City, Missouri.
A source told KCUR on Thursday morning that the Democrat is considering joining an already-crowded race for the 2019 election. U.S. Rep. Emanuel Cleaver's staff told KCUR in an email that Cleaver, a Democrat who was Kansas City's mayor from 1991 to 1999, "did speak with Jason Kander about his mayoral plans."
A Kander spokesman said in a statement only that Kander is "deciding how he can best serve."
The Kansas City Star first broke the news Thursday. It isn't clear when Kander will formally announce his intention to join the race.
Kander, who heads the voting-rights nonprofit Let America Vote, has said he isn't interested in running for governor in 2020. He told KCUR's Up to Date on June 8 that he'd like to stay in his hometown.
"I really love being here. I live here, this is my hometown. And I want to stay here. I'm happy to be here," Kander said.
In a statement, Let America Vote executive director Abe Rakov told KCUR: "As he has been over the past few months, Jason is deciding how he can best serve. He's been encouraged by an outpouring of support to continue in public service, so he's determining the best way to do that."
Kander, an Army veteran, served as Missouri's secretary of state from 2013 to 2017 and lost the U.S. Senate race in 2016 to incumbent GOP Sen. Roy Blunt.
Up To Date host Steve Kraske, KCUR editor Erica Hunzinger and KCUR intern Nicolas Telep contributed to this report.
