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Brian "BAM" McClendon
Brian McClendon (Democratic Party) (also known as BAM) ran for election for Kansas Secretary of State. He lost in the general election on November 6, 2018.
McClendon completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2018. Click here to read the survey answers.
Biography
McClendon earned a B.S./E.E. from the University of Kansas in 1986. He also holds a doctor of science in EECS (honorary) from the University of Kansas.[1]
McClendon's professional experience includes the following:[1]
- University of Kansas, Research Professor
- Uber, VP Engineering
- Google, VP Engineering, Head of Google Geo
- Keyhole, VP Engineering, Board of Directors
- Intrinsic Graphics, COO/VP Engineering, Board of Directors
- Home Network, Director of Engineering
- Silicon Graphics Inc., Graphics Software Manager
Elections
2018
- See also: Kansas Secretary of State election, 2018
General election
Scott Schwab defeated Brian McClendon and Rob Hodgkinson in the general election for Kansas Secretary of State on November 6, 2018.
General election
General election for Kansas Secretary of State
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ |  | Scott Schwab (R) | 52.6 | 549,416 |
 | Brian McClendon (D)  | 43.9 | 458,142 | |
 | Rob Hodgkinson (L) | 3.5 | 36,882 | |
| Total votes: 1,044,440 | |||
| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
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Democratic primary
Brian McClendon advanced from the Democratic primary for Kansas Secretary of State on August 7, 2018.
Democratic primary election
Democratic primary for Kansas Secretary of State
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | Brian McClendon | 100.0 | 139,457 |
| Total votes: 139,457 | |||
| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
| If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
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Withdrawn or disqualified candidates
- Nathaniel McLaughlin (D)
- Lucy Steyer (D)
Republican primary
Scott Schwab defeated Randy Duncan, Dennis Taylor, Craig McCullah, and Keith Esau in the Republican primary for Kansas Secretary of State on August 7, 2018.
Republican primary election
Republican primary for Kansas Secretary of State
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | Scott Schwab | 38.3 | 108,705 |
| Randy Duncan | 20.2 | 57,236 | ||
 | Dennis Taylor | 19.9 | 56,537 | |
| Craig McCullah | 11.5 | 32,615 | ||
 | Keith Esau | 10.0 | 28,426 | |
| Total votes: 283,519 | |||
| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
| If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team. | ||||
Campaign themes
2018
Ballotpedia survey responses
See also: Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection
Brian McClendon completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey. The survey questions appear in bold and are followed by McClendon's responses.
What would be your top three priorities, if elected?
Restoring Kansans' trust in our elections. Being in charge of elections should be about increasing the number of citizens registered to vote, promoting a non-partisan understanding of the candidates and the issues in question, facilitating participation in the voting process, in whatever way is most effective, and creating confidence in the integrity of our election process and trust in the state's use of our data. Recent misguided leadership. It's time to restore non-partisan competence to the Secretary of State. Partisan ambition and needless legal battles have cost us time and money that could have been spent on Kansas voters, local election staff, securing our private data, helping businesses, and making state information more accessible. The Secretary of State works for the people of Kansas, so the business of that office must be conducted in the light of day, with full transparency. Technological apathy. I am committed to the use of data and accountability in decision making, security, and problem solving. I do not think in partisan terms, but rather about the impact of government actions on the lives of Kansans. Every company that does business in Kansas passes through the Secretary of State's office. That's an excellent opportunity for the state to improve efficiency with impacts on our economy statewide. Sensible leadership and good technology can return the office of the Secretary of State to all Kansans.
What areas of public policy are you personally passionate about?
Election integrity, protecting the fundamental right of every eligible citizen to vote, voter registration and engagement, STEM education and training, entrepreneurship and startup support, government transparency, improving technological efficiency in government
What qualities do you possess that you believe would make you a successful officeholder?
I am an engineer by training with an abiding passion for Kansas. I combined these two elements as VP at Google when I made the Kansas apartment I grew up in the center of Google Earth. I've led teams of thousands of professionals and am committed to the use of data and accountability in decision making, security, and problem solving for the benefit of all Kansans. I do not think in partisan terms, but rather about the impact of government actions on the lives of Kansans.
What do you believe are the core responsibilities for someone elected to this office?
There are five priorities the next Kansas Secretary of State must address: Elections Voting Cyber Security Business Access and Innovation State Communication All can benefit from, even require, focused problem-solving, the involvement of better technology in the solutions, the capacity for non-partisan engagement, and a tangible customer/user focus.
What legacy would you like to leave?
I would like to leave office with Kansans' elections and our data secure, having undone some of the damage from recent efforts to restrict voting rights, having attracted and cultivated new businesses and innovators in Kansas, and having opened the digital doors of our democracy to all citizens. I would like the office to be recognized and trusted for accountable leadership focused on identifying and efficiently solving shared problems.
What was your very first job? How long did you have it?
Growing up, I delivered newspapers for the Lawrence Journal-World. Collecting monthly payments from each customer was a chore, but it allowed me to meet with my customers one-on-one and hear about any delivery or content concerns. This taught me that customer service matters and that building a product needs to have significant feedback from its users. Throughout my career, testing and iteration have been a big part of my approach to building great products. Over time things improve and the sharp edges are removed. In particular, at Google I saw clearly that people will use a technology IF it's easy to use and accessible, and they will tell you that if you ask them. As Secretary of State, my customers are the voters, businesses, and citizens of Kansas and I will listen carefully to their feedback as we build better tools for them such as online voter registration, advance ballot requests and a streamlined business registration process.
What qualities does this office possess that makes it a unique and important part of the state government?
The Secretary of State is a different job than it was prior to the digital age and what are now perennial cyber security concerns. In all sectors, we are moving away from paper-based information to digital data management. Because of the amount and nature of the data the office handles and because of ever-present and very real cyber security threats to that data and citizens, our Secretary of State must have a deep understanding of digital data management and cyber security issues. The Secretary must also be able to effectively lead staff and partners in a digital environment. At the same time, in order to offer citizens increased transparency and access available in a digital context, the Secretary of State must also have the skills and experience to focus on customer service and problem-solving using technology.
What responsibilities of this office do you personally consider the most important?
Voter engagement, data security, business support.
Are there any little-known powers or responsibilities held by this office that you believe more people should be aware of?
Kansas spends $400M-$500M per year on technology, relatively inefficiently. With optimized design processes, we can build better technology in this state for less than we are currently spending, delivering improved access and transparency, as well as cost savings.
What kind of skills or expertise do you believe would be the most helpful for the holders of this office to possess?
I co-founded the company that developed Google Earth and as a vice president at Google led the team that built Google Maps, Local Search, and the entire Google Geo suite. We created tools used by over a billion people - helping them more efficiently find their way, improve businesses, letting them tell stories, and discover the world. It changed mapping worldwide and is still the gold standard today. I am an engineer by training with an abiding passion for Kansas. I combined these two elements when I made the Kansas apartment I grew up in the center of Google Earth. I've built small startup companies and led teams of over 2,000 professionals as vice-president of a company that I helped grow from a Fortune 1000 company to a Fortune 5 company. I am committed to the use of data and accountability in decision making, security, and problem solving. I do not think in partisan terms, but rather about the impact of government actions on the lives of Kansans. Technological problem-solving. Customer focus. Commitment to home and place. Non-partisan efficiency. Transparency.
Note: Ballotpedia reserves the right to edit Candidate Connection survey responses. Any edits made by Ballotpedia will be clearly marked with [brackets] for the public. If the candidate disagrees with an edit, he or she may request the full removal of the survey response from Ballotpedia.org. Ballotpedia does not edit or correct typographical errors unless the candidate's campaign requests it.
Ballotpedia biographical submission form
The candidate completed Ballotpedia's biographical information submission form:
| “ | What is your political philosophy?
My education and business experience are grounded in professional accountability, customer service, and problem-solving using technology, rather than a partisan political rhetoric. To keep our elections and data secure, protect the fundamental right of all eligible citizens to vote, attract and cultivate new businesses and innovators, and open the digital doors of our democracy to all citizens, requires qualified leadership focused on solving shared problems. I am an engineer by training with an abiding passion for Kansas. I combined these two elements as VP at Google when I made the Kansas apartment I grew up in the center of Google Earth. I've led teams of thousands of professionals and am committed to the use of data and accountability in decision making, security, and problem solving for the benefit of all Kansans. I do not think in partisan terms, but rather about the impact of government actions on the lives of Kansans. Is there anything you would like to add? The Secretary of State is a different job than it was prior to the digital age and what are now perennial cyber security concerns. In all sectors, we are moving away from paper-based information to digital data management. Because of the amount and nature of the data the office handles and because of ever-present and very real cyber security threats to that data and citizens, our Secretary of State must have a deep understanding of digital data management and cyber security issues. The Secretary must also be able to effectively lead staff and partners in a digital environment. At the same time, in order to offer citizens increased transparency and access available in a digital context, the Secretary of State must also have the skills and experience to focus on customer service and problem-solving using technology. I co-founded the company that developed Google Earth and as a vice president at Google led the team that built Google Maps, Local Search, and the entire Google Geo suite. We created tools used by over a billion people - helping them more efficiently find their way, improve businesses, letting them tell stories, and discover the world. It changed mapping worldwide and is still the gold standard today. Kansas is my home. I want to use my skills as Secretary of State and contribute to a more civil, fair, and efficient society. [2] |
” |
| —Brian "BAM" McClendon[1] | ||
See also
| Kansas | State Executive Elections | News and Analysis |
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External links
Footnotes
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State of Kansas Topeka (capital) |
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| Elections |
What's on my ballot? | Elections in 2025 | How to vote | How to run for office | Ballot measures |
| Government |
Who represents me? | U.S. President | U.S. Congress | Federal courts | State executives | State legislature | State and local courts | Counties | Cities | School districts | Public policy |
