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Jordan Herrera
Jordan Herrera (Democratic Party) is running for election to the U.S. House to represent Missouri's 5th Congressional District. He declared candidacy for the 2026 election.
Herrera completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2025. Click here to read the survey answers.
Biography
Jordan Herrera was born in Scottsbluff, Nebraska. He served in the U.S. Air Force from 2006 to 2022. He received several Air Force awards in 2017, 2020, and 2021, as well as annual awards in 2010, 2013, 2014, 2015, and 2018. He graduated from Sidney High School. He earned an associate degree from Air University in 2008, a bachelor's degree from Park University in 2020, and a law degree from the Southwestern Law School-Los Angeles in 2024. His career experience includes working as an advocate.[1]
Herrera has been affiliated with the following organizations:[1]
- Do Something Mo
- Respect MO Voters
- Indivisible KC
- 50501 Missouri
- 50501 Veterans
- Boots on the Ground
- Boots to Business
- AFT
- SET
- Veteran Treatment Courts in Johnson and Jackson counties
- The LGBT Chamber
- The LGBT Bar Association
- The KC Metro Bar Association
- The Hispanic Chamber of Commerce
- Air Force Wounded Warriors
Elections
2026
See also: Missouri's 5th Congressional District election, 2026
General election
The general election will occur on November 3, 2026.
General election for U.S. House Missouri District 5
Incumbent Emanuel Cleaver, Hartzell Gray, and Jordan Herrera are running in the general election for U.S. House Missouri District 5 on November 3, 2026.
Candidate | ||
 | Emanuel Cleaver (D) | |
 | Hartzell Gray (D) | |
 | Jordan Herrera (D)  | |
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Endorsements
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Campaign themes
2026
Ballotpedia survey responses
See also: Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection
Jordan Herrera completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2025. The survey questions appear in bold and are followed by Herrera's responses. Candidates are asked three required questions for this survey, but they may answer additional optional questions as well.
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I’m not running for Congress because I always dreamed of holding office. I’m running because I’ve lived the consequences of failed leadership, and I refuse to stand by while others suffer the same.
From ages five to twelve, my home was violence and chaos. When the fights got bad, I ran barefoot, through snow and pavement until I found someone to help. Until I could wake up the neighbors. That instinct never left me.
I joined the Air Force at 19, served under “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell,” led airmen in crisis, and learned what integrity under pressure really means. After nearly 16 years of service, I became an attorney to continue the fight for others defending veterans, protecting civil rights, and holding power accountable.
Now, I’m running for Congress to do what others won’t: act. I’m fighting to lower the cost of living, rebuild the middle class, and restore accountability in government. Because people are hurting and they deserve more than slogans. Asking for the vulnerable and voiceless to wait two or four years is not an answer it's more injustice.
This isn’t just a campaign. It’s a call to courage, to service, and to action.
Let’s wake the neighbors. And let’s build the future we deserve.- Economic Stability and Cost of Living
Families deserve relief from rising costs our plan puts working people first by tackling housing affordability with smart zoning reform supporting fair wages protecting labor rights and ensuring price transparency for essentials like medical bills groceries and utilities. I'll hold corporations accountable, close tax loopholes, and rebuild middle class security. Now is the time for practical solutions that make life more affordable for everyone.
Where we need stronger action is in housing affordability and zoning reform, it's in fair wage policies and labor protection, price transparency for groceries and utilities, and tax fairness that doesn't rob the poor and working class. - Threats to Democracy and Political Extremism As your Congressman I will always defend democracy from extremist threats and political violence. We must safeguard fair elections, protect every citizen's right to vote, and hold anyone accountable who tries to overturn the will of the people. We will strengthen the rule of law again, protect our democratic institutions, and fight disinformation and foreign interference at every turn. Together we must reject fear and division; instead install unity and hope proving that our democracy is stronger than those who seek to destroy it. As Democrats we must fight for the electoral process, reject violence and intimidation, strengthen protections for our democratic institutions and rule of law.
- Reproductive Freedom and Bodily Autonomy As your Congressman and as a future leader in our nation's future I'll always defend every American’s fundamental right to control their own body. Bodily Autonomy is more than just abortion access. It means protecting IVF contraception trans rights and the privacy and dignity of every person no matter who they are or where they live. No government should have the power to legislate our bodies or dictate our most personal choices. I stand for bodily autonomy because when every person is free to make their own decisions we all rise stronger safer and more equal period hope lives in the premise that our bodies will never belong to politicians but only to ourselves and to the future we choose.
I carry her lessons with me in every fight I take on: never give up, honor where you come from, and believe that no matter how poor you start, you can and will always rise.
I'm inspired by leaders like John F Kennedy who dared us to reach the moon before we could even imagine how to get there. I look at FDR and teddy Roosevelt, who proved that hope and grit are stronger than fear. President Obama reminded us that grace encourage still belong in the halls of power.
I admire everyday heroes like Mark Lunsford, an ordinary truck driver who turned his grief into Jessica's Law to protect countless children from harm. He shows me that you do not need a fancy title to make real change.
I find hope in young leaders like Malala and Greta, who remind us that your age or your gender or your birthplace does not define the power of your voice. I see that same fearless spirit in David Hogg he’s turned his tragedy into a national movement for change.
In Congress today, I look at courageous voices like Jasmine Crockett and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez two women who speak plainly, fight fiercely, and never hide who they are.
I am moved by works like Network where the line “I'm mad as hell and I'm not going to take this anymore,” reminds us that righteous anger can be a force for good if we channel it into purpose. Charlie Chaplin’s the great dictator speech calls us to reject hatred and remember our shared humanity. But leadership demands strategy too. I've studied Clausewitz, Sun Tzu, Mahan, and Mitchell because real change is never just passion, it's planning patience and knowing when to act.
I find hope in the words of poets like Amanda Gorman, whose verses remind us that even when our nation feels fractured, there is always light if we are brave enough to see it and brave enough to be it. I admire historians like Doris Kearns Goodwin, John Meacham, Ron Chernow, and David McCullough who teach us that our greatest leaders are never perfect instead they are simply willing to stand up again and again or something greater than themselves.
For me, accountability means standing up when it would be easier to stay quiet period it means telling the truth even when the truth makes people uncomfortable. It means looking a billionaire in the eye and saying your tax breaks come second to a child's meal. It means looking at a corrupt judge in the eye and saying you're not above the law. It means protecting our veteran's benefits, our unions, our public schools, and the civil liberties of every American no matter who they are or where they come from.
In our district, we know what hardship looks like. We know what it feels like to work 2 jobs and still fall behind on rent. We know the pain of seeing veterans turned away from the care they earned, families crushed by medical bills, and young people who fear they will never own a home or pay off their loans. We know what it means to be overlooked by people in power.
My responsibility is to make sure we are never overlooked again, and not just for an election season but every single day. It means walking into rooms where people feel unseen and saying I see you. And you matter. It means holding town halls and neighborhoods that have been left behind and asking what can we do better?
I believe our representative must build coalitions that lift up unions, protect working families, defend reproductive freedom and honor the dignity of every person no matter who they are. It means protecting the rule of law so no one is above it and no one has forgotten beneath it.
Years later, when I joined the United states military and served under don't ask, don't tell as an openly gay man, those same lessons helped me survive in an environment that demanded silence about who I was. I learned how to build trust, find common ground, and let people see my humanity even when I couldn't share my whole truth or who I loved.
Unlike any other institution, the House reflects the full diversity of our nation every background, every walk of life, every region, every struggle and every dream. It is where small towns, big cities, rural communities, and forgotten places all have a voice and a vote. That is a sacred responsibility that no member should ever take for granted.
What also makes the House unique is its power of the purse. No spending happens without the consent of the people’s representatives. That is a check on the abuse of power and a promise that taxpayer dollars must serve the public good not private greed.
The House is where bold ideas can be debated, tested, and refined. It is where new leaders emerge. It is where the fight for civil rights, workers’ rights, veterans’ care, and social security all began. It is where everyday Americans can walk in, look their representative in the eye, and say: you work for me.
A representative should understand how to navigate the system, write good laws, and get things done but no amount of insider knowledge can replace the wisdom that comes from living like the people you serve. Too often, career politicians learn how to survive in the halls of power but forget how to stand up to that power when it harms working families, veterans, and the vulnerable.
I believe some of the best leaders come from outside the comfortable walls of government they come from classrooms and union halls, farms and factory floors, courtrooms and combat zones. They bring the grit, honesty, and common sense that professional politics sometimes forgets.
What matters most is character and courage. Are you willing to speak hard truths? Are you ready to fight for people who have no voice? Do you know who you work for and why you serve?
We must confront the deep inequality that has hollowed out the middle class and left too many families fighting just to stay afloat while billionaires bend the rules. We must tackle the cost-of-living crisis, the housing crisis, and the healthcare crisis with real solutions, not band-aids.
Another challenge is defending our democracy against those who would weaken it for their own gain. We cannot look away from rising authoritarianism, disinformation, and the erosion of rights we once took for granted. Protecting voting rights, fair courts, and the rule of law will be a fight we must choose every single day.
I also believe our next decade will test our moral courage on the climate crisis. We have no time left for half-measures or empty promises. We must invest in clean energy, protect our water and land, and honor the sovereignty and wisdom of Indigenous communities whose voices have too long been silenced.
Finally, we must care for those who carried this nation on their backs our veterans, our workers, our teachers, our first responders the people who kept the lights on through our darkest days. They deserve more than thank-yous. They deserve action.
But I also believe the constant cycle of campaigning can distract from the work we were sent to do. Too often, it pushes representatives to think in two-year timelines instead of ten or twenty. It makes big, bold solutions harder when so many worry more about the next election than the next generation.
I believe there is room for honest debate about whether a slightly longer term, maybe four years, would give members the breathing room to govern more responsibly while still preserving accountability. But any change must protect the House’s spirit as the closest link to the people.
If we keep the two-year term, then we have a duty to use every single day wisely. We cannot spend our days chasing special interest dollars and playing it safe. We must listen, we must act, and we must be ready to earn the people’s trust all over again, every time they hold us to it.
This is not about punishing good leaders. It's about protecting our Republic from complacency and corruption our founders did not imagine career politicians shielding themselves from consequences of broken promises. They imagined a government that reflects people and renews itself with every generation.
If we want accountability, we must demand it. If we want courage, we must clear out the Deadwood so new voices can rise. I believe term limits are one of the clearest ways we can restore trust in our democracy and remind every elected official that power is borrowed and must be earned.
I see leaders like Rep. Jasmine Crockett and Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez who stand firm in the face of cynicism, refusing to apologize for fighting for the working poor, the overlooked, and the unheard. I admire Rep. Ro Khanna’s vision for a fairer economy that lifts up every American worker instead of bowing to billionaires. I respect how Rep. Nancy Pelosi never backed down from protecting democracy in its darkest hours.
His story broke my heart because it reveals a truth too many ignore: our cities and our systems fail people who need us most. There are not enough sidewalks for a disabled neighbor to get down the street safely. There are not enough leaders willing to listen, really listen, to what dignity means when you live with a body that will not always cooperate.
I live with disabilities too, scars from military service, injuries and the invisible weight of PTSD, but his courage reminded me there is always more to learn, more to fight for, more voices to lift up. Stories like his remind me why I stand up every day and put my heart on the line.
Real compromise should not mean working people give up fair wages so billionaires can keep tax loopholes. It should not mean veterans see their benefits gutted so big contractors get blank checks. It should not mean civil rights or bodily autonomy are bargained away behind closed doors.
I believe in the kind of compromise that comes from honest debate, mutual respect, and the courage to listen not the kind forced by backroom deals or corporate lobbyists. We have to remember that our democracy was built to be a conversation, not a dictatorship of the loudest or wealthiest.
When compromise lifts up our communities, breaks gridlock, and protects the voiceless, then it is not only necessary but an obligation. When it demands we abandon what is just and right, then it is a line I will not cross.
Right now, the 400 richest families in America pay a lower effective tax rate than the poorest people trying to keep the lights on. Some of our largest corporations pay 0 tax while every day Americans watch their paychecks shrink and their basic services get cut to the bone. That is not freedom, that is a rigged system that drains the life out of the American dream.
I believe every dollar should be reinvested where it builds real prosperity. For every dollar we put into early childhood education we get 4 back. The same is true when we tackle food insecurity, affordable housing, and rebuilding the backbone of this nation, our working people. Meanwhile we spend over $1 trillion a year on the Department of Defense, yet many military families still rely on food banks to survive. One out of every 4 military families survives on SNAP benefits and WIC. That is not fiscal responsibility instead it's a moral failure.
Tariffs and hidden taxes hit the poor and the working class the hardest while billionaires get tax breaks worth hundreds of millions. We cannot keep pretending that debt will pay for itself while we let the wealthiest and most powerful write themselves out of the bill.
When credible allegations surface whether it's a justice accepting millions and undisclosed gifts, a lobbyist gaining influence through a judge's spouse, or elected officials lying to the people who trusted them, the house must have the courage to ask the hard questions and follow the facts wherever they may lead. We cannot protect democracy with blinders on. And we cannot do it by turning a blind eye to our own party or branch of government.
There must be a clear, fair, and transparent process to investigate potential wrongdoing, whether that means looking into a Supreme Court justices undisclosed luxury trips, gets, or influence peddling, or holding members like George Santos or Matt Gaetz accountable for actions that betray the public trust. When leaders exploit their position for personal gain or cover up the truth they are stealing power from the people they serve.
The houses investigative powers are a vital check on corruption in all three branches of government. We cannot claim to stand for the rule of law and then turn away when the powerful break it. I believe in accountability, even when it is uncomfortable because real justice is never about protecting the few, it is about protecting the people, the vulnerable and the voiceless.
The House Committee on Veterans’ Affairs is personal for me. As a veteran, I know what it feels like to come home to a system that makes empty promises while stripping away critical care and benefits. Our service members and their families deserve fierce oversight and real accountability.
I am also drawn to the House Committee on Oversight and Accountability because corruption, waste, and dark money poison our democracy from within. If we want to restore trust, we must hold those in power, in government and in the private sector, to the same standard we hold working families.
The Committee on Energy and Commerce is another place where I know I can make an impact. It is where we can tackle rising healthcare costs, fight for prescription drug pricing reform, and ensure that rural and underserved communities get the access they need. This is also where we meet the climate crisis head-on, invest in clean energy, and honor our commitment to future generations.
Finally, I would be honored to contribute to the Committee on Housing and Financial Services, because the American Dream depends on having a safe, affordable place to live. We must stand up to hedge funds and predatory lenders who see homes as assets instead of shelter.
I believe every taxpayer dollar must be treated with respect. People should know exactly how their money is spent, who benefits, and who is held responsible when it's wasted or abused. There should be no secret deals, no backroom handshakes, and no corporate loopholes that leave working families paying the price while billionaires and special interests walk away wealthier. I support strict disclosure laws for campaign contributions and lobbying so that the public knows who is trying to influence their government. I believe in shining a bright light on conflicts of interest, shady contracts, and hidden donors. I will always push to get dark money out of politics because democracy should belong to the people not the highest bidder.
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Campaign finance summary
Note: The finance data shown here comes from the disclosures required of candidates and parties. Depending on the election or state, this may represent only a portion of all the funds spent on their behalf. Satellite spending groups may or may not have expended funds related to the candidate or politician on whose page you are reading this disclaimer. Campaign finance data from elections may be incomplete. For elections to federal offices, complete data can be found at the FEC website. Click here for more on federal campaign finance law and here for more on state campaign finance law.
See also
2026 Elections
External links
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Candidate U.S. House Missouri District 5 |
Personal |
Footnotes
