He's a popular KC media personality & activist. Now he's running for Congress

Kacen Bayless, The Kansas City Star on Aug 14, 2025

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KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Hartzell Gray has built a reputation around Kansas City as a well-known media personality and progressive activist, drawing in listeners through podcast episodes, radio segments and speeches at local protests.

Now, the former radio host and tenants rights advocate is running to represent Kansas City in Congress.

Gray, late last month, launched a Democratic campaign for Missouri’s 5th Congressional District, which encompasses Kansas City’s urban core and nearby suburbs. The announcement signaled that the 2026 Democratic primary for Kansas City’s 5th District could be competitive.

Democratic U.S. Rep. Emanuel Cleaver has held the office since 2005. Jordan Herrera, an attorney who previously worked in the Missouri Attorney General’s Office, also entered the race several months ago.

The dueling campaigns mean that Cleaver, Kansas City’s longtime congressman, will face at least two challengers from his own party in 2026. The announcements also come as the future of the 5th District could be in doubt amid a GOP plan to gerrymander Cleaver out of his seat.

“I know that I am ready for everything involved in this fight,” Gray said in an interview on Thursday. “I have no doubt about it.”

Gray, a 33-year-old Kansas City native, has held various positions with local media organizations, including KCUR and the former KRBZ 96.5 FM. He’s also worked as an in-stadium host with Sporting KC.

But Gray has also been publicly involved in activism, using his voice to advocate for issues such as affordable housing, health care and higher wages. He’s hoping to translate that activism into a self-described progressive populist campaign.

“I’m born and raised here,” Gray said. “Unapologetically, I know where I come from. I know where I came from. I know where I’m going to keep going. I’m going with our people. In fact, I’m gonna let the people take us there.”

The campaign announcement also came just months after Gray filed a lawsuit alleging that Mayor Quinton Lucas and his top aide attempted to have him fired from his previous job at KCUR after he participated in a protest at City Hall.

Gray, in announcing his campaign last month, touted an endorsement from Progressive Democrats of America, a group that has pushed the national Democratic Party to be more progressive. The Kansas City-based activist has framed his campaign around affordable housing, universal health care and the idea that the 5th District needed new leadership.

“Kansas Citians are being priced out of our homes, locked out of opportunity, and told to wait our turn — all while politicians protect the same donors and pass the same tired policies,” Gray said in his campaign announcement.

He also recently circulated an online petition opposing the effort to gerrymander the 5th District. So far, it’s received more than 13,000 signatures.

Herrera describes himself on his campaign website as a U.S. Air Force veteran and attorney who previously worked as an assistant attorney general in Missouri. His website touts his professional background as well as his working-class upbringing.

“Jordan is running for Congress because he believes this district —and this country — deserve more than politics as usual,” the website said. “His platform centers on economic fairness, housing affordability, student debt relief, public safety reform, and restoring faith in democracy.”

In June, Herrera’s campaign announced that he was fired from the Attorney General’s Office, framing the firing as politically-motivated after Herrera attended a rally to advocate for veterans. A spokesperson for the office declined to comment on Herrera’s departure at the time.

The two candidates could face an uphill battle to unseat Cleaver, a longtime congressman and Kansas City’s first Black mayor. The last time Cleaver faced a Democratic challenger, in 2022, he won with more than 85% of the vote.

But the 2026 race comes as Cleaver is under threat from both sides of the aisle. President Donald Trump is pressuring Missouri Republicans to gerrymander the state’s U.S. House map so Republicans can maintain control of Congress.

The likely move would involve carving up Cleaver’s 5th District to open an easier path for a Republican to win the seat.