LEE’S SUMMIT, Mo. – A new candidate has entered the race to replace the term-limited Rep. Gary Cross of House District 35.
Iraq War veteran and Democratic candidate Jordan Presnell on Saturday, Aug. 12 announced his intent to run for state representative for Lee’s Summit and parts of Kansas City and Raytown.
“After returning home from the war I put away my guns and entered civilian life. I now feel a sense of duty to once again fight for the American people,” Presnell said.“Over the past year, we have seen a dramatic change in the political landscape both nationally and locally. The culture of Jefferson City has shifted from a united front that puts the public first to a culture of policies that abandon those who need it the most. We are in a climate where elected officials are choosing identity over reason and party over country. Politicians are no longer searching for answers based on facts, but rather are willing to say and do anything to justify their harmful policies. The climate where elected officials on both sides of the aisle have abandoned their constituents to wage war on one another is not acceptable.”
A veteran of the Operation Iraqi Freedom 2, Presnell spent four years on active duty in the U.S. Army and another six years in the Army Reserves. While spending nearly 16 months in Iraq, he was wounded twice during combat while serving with Task Force 1-77. After returning home, he attended college at the University of Missouri-Kansas City, studying Urban Planning and Industrial Engineering. In 2011 he was offered a full-time position with Union Pacific Railroad as an engineer. In 2013 Jordan returned to Missouri to work for Magna Automotive, supporting both Ford and General Motors in engineering and advanced dimensional data.
Presnell married his wife Ashlyn in 2012 and they live in Lee’s Summit with their four children, Lex, Maddi, Liam, and Micky, and two dogs, Pedro and Sandy.
Presnell currently works as a senior software engineer for Transit Pros writing advanced algorithms and data structures. He is a lifetime member of the VFW Post 5489 and contributes time to CoderVets, a nonprofit program that educates veterans in computer programing for free.
Benjamin Peters was a reporter for The Missouri Times and Missouri Times Magazine and also produced the #MoLeg Podcast. He joined The Missouri Times in 2016 after working as a sports editor and TV news producer in mid-Missouri. Benjamin is a graduate of Missouri State University in Springfield.
