KANSAS CITY, MO  — There is a significant change in the race for Mayor of Kansas City, Missouri.

Jason Kander, the  former Missouri secretary of state who garnered national attention during an unsuccessful bid for U.S. Senate announced on his campaign web site Tuesday that he’s dropping out of the race to focus on his battle with PTSD.

I suffer from depression and have PTSD symptoms. After 11 years, I’m finally ready to do something about it: https://t.co/tfi8XaLcBj

— Jason Kander (@JasonKander) October 2, 2018

His announcement to run for mayor was surprising considering Kander was someone often mentioned by political observers as a possible Democratic candidate for president.

Kander, 37, is a former Army intelligence officer who served in Afghanistan. He spent four years as Missouri’s secretary of state and four years as a state House representative.

In 2016, Kander ran competitive race for U.S. Senate in  against incumbent Republican Roy Blunt. He lost by less than 3 percentage points, a notable finish in a year when President Donald Trump, former Gov. Eric Greitens and other Republicans carried the state by much larger margins.