Who Wants to Run Jackson County?
For the first time in twenty years, no incumbent. Six Democrats, one Republican, and a county still smoking from a recall.
On candidates we publish records, votes, donors, dollars, and dates, and nothing else. No endorsements, no scores, no adjectives. The judgment is yours.
📌 The Stakes Are HighJackson County elects a new executive in 2026, and because one Republican filed, the August 4 Democratic primary effectively decides it. The office runs the county that assesses your property and manages the aftermath of the crisis that drove the recall of Frank White Jr. in September 2025. The race shifted in mid-July: Manny Abarca announced he was suspending active campaigning amid bribery allegations he brought against colleagues, and the legislature removed him as its chair, though his name remains on the ballot. The next executive inherits the 2026 tax bills, the 2027 reassessment, and a legislature in open turmoil.
Manny Abarca
County legislator for downtown KC since 2022; elected chair in January 2026 and removed by a vote of his colleagues on July 20, 2026, with Donna Peyton elected to replace him. On July 16 he announced he was suspending active campaigning to focus on bribery allegations he says he reported involving other legislators and staff. His name remains on the ballot. He also faces pending criminal cases related to the breakup of his marriage, including a misdemeanor domestic battery charge set for trial on August 7, three days after the primary; all charges are pending, and none has produced a conviction.
Bill Baird
Former mayor of Lee’s Summit, the county’s second-largest city, term-limited after two terms.
Stacy Lake
Attorney. Ran for this office in 2022 and came within roughly six points of Frank White, 53.3 to 46.7, two years before the county recalled him in a landslide. Described in state political coverage as running as the most progressive candidate in this field, and the only Black candidate in a county where the assessment crisis fell hardest on Black homeowners. Full platform summaries for every candidate publish here from questionnaires and campaign materials as verified.
Ryan Meyer
Consultant with a background in economics.
Holmes Osborne
Chartered financial analyst; trustee, Metropolitan Community College board.
Dan Tarwater III
County legislator for 28 years, including service as chairman; lost a KC Council race in 2023. Argues the county needs experience with as many as six or seven new legislators possible.
Alan Rohlfing (R)
Military background; unopposed in the Republican primary and advances to November regardless.
Records in verification · publishing as confirmed
Campaign finance files from the Missouri Ethics Commission and the full record dossiers publish here as each item clears verification.
✊🏾 What You Can DoThis race is decided August 4, not November. Read the records, watch the forums, judge for yourself, and stay on the office after the winner is sworn in, because the assessment cycle that matters most starts in 2027.
