Jordan Herrera, Kansas City, is running for the Fourth Missouri Congressional District in the Aug. 4 mid-term primary.
The Air Force veteran said he initially planned on running against Emanuel Cleaver in the Fifth District until the Missouri General Assembly redrew the congressional map in September.
The redrawn fourth district includes Benton and Henry counties. Republican Congressman Mark Alford currently represents the Fourth District.
The new map puts Pettis, Johnson, Saline, Cooper, Morgan and Moniteau counties in the Fifth District.
Filing for the election officially begins Feb. 24. Those who intend to file for the Democratic primary also include Marshall's Ricky Dana, Kansas City's Hartzell Gray and Warrensburg's Danny Province.
“Now we're in a different world, and at that point I have to make a decision,” Herrera said. “Do I continue to fight for the Fifth and run as a split candidate against our Democrat congressman Emanuel Cleaver, or because I have been redrawn into the Fourth, do I then turn my candidacy to the Fourth and run against a Republican?”
Herrera felt it best to support incumbent congressman Cleaver and use his redrawn district as an opportune moment to become an additional voice in Congress.
“One that is of bipartisan and bridge-building,” Herrera said. “Not one that is aligned necessarily purely to any one party.”
Herrera holds degrees in U.S. military history, political science, and law.
“Never in our American history has a president drawn a specific Congressional District, let alone cracked it apart,” Herrera said. “In 249 years, this has never happened. We're dealing with very novel, never encountered before situations and we don't know how best to move forward.”
The candidate stated that the courts are in uncharted waters when ruling on the redistricting legalities.
“Does the president have the ability to redraw the specific Congressional District?” Herrera said. “Short answer for me is an absolute, unequivocal no, that is a far reach of power. This MAGA Republicanism, which is different than traditional conservatism, has reached this new level of federalism that is so big and being so huge, I don't know how we come back from it.”
Herrera enlisted in the Air Force at 19 after being convinced of his duty to the country by his uncle Tony.
“For the next 16 years, I worked as a biomedical engineer for the Air Force,” Herrera said. “I was assigned to aeromedical evacuation squadrons, and I was assigned to medical equipment repair centers, which are depot-level shops.”
From installing MRI's and CT radiographic suites to multi-million dollar hospital remodels, Herrera has a wealth of experience as a project manager and developed an intimate knowledge of local healthcare, working with Whiteman Air Force Base and Bothwell Regional Health Center.
“We have several hospitals in our in our district,” Herrera said. “These rural hospitals are at risk of closure. the number one way they operate and run is through Medicare. The number one way to get those facilities back online and make sure they do not close is to restore Medicare cuts. The other thing that I would do separately is we do need a public insurance option.”
Herrera notes that many Missouri families are forced into bankruptcy by either of two factors.
“The two main causes of homelessness in our country today are housing costs and health care costs,” Herrera said. “It's not mental illness, it's not addiction, it's not alcoholism, it's everyday life.”
Herrera said that though he was raised in a household with domestic violence, poverty and he only had a GED to start with, he managed to pull himself up with dedication and a dream.
“My focus is on rural renewal, but also showcasing the rural and urban connection,” Hererra said. “It doesn't matter if you're living in the rural parts of our state or in the urban core; housing is unaffordable. I've never been wealthy; I've never needed to be wealthy.”
After the Air Force, Herrera served as an Assistant Attorney General.
“That's unusual for Democrats to do in our state because I worked for Andrew Bailey,” Herrera said. "But the very first case I had as an assistant attorney general, I improved our prison policy for HIV positive people and trans people and that would never have happened unless a brave Democrat was willing to work in an office where conservatives might rule the stage.”
Herrera noted that since June, he has been running his campaign with disability income only.
“I was terminated by Andrew Bailey under political retribution for speaking up against ICE,” Herrera said. “But I continue to fight, I still continue to answer the call because that's what service is about; it's not about what you don't have, it's about what you're fighting for.”
For more information, visit jordanjherrera.com
Chris Howell can be reached at 660-530-0146.
