Former Uber, Google exec to run for Kansas secretary of state

Former Uber and Google executive Brian McClendon is launching a Democratic bid to be Kansas’s secretary of state.

{mosads}McClendon’s main platform points focus on technology-centric issues like securing elections, which in McClendon’s words have been “hacked by foreign agents,” and promoting a startup-friendly culture of innovation in Kansas.

McClendon, who helped create Google Earth, most recently worked at Uber for two years as a vice president. He had previously worked at Google for 11 years as vice president of engineering. He is currently a professor at the University of Kansas and advises startups.

The incumbent secretary of state, Kris Kobach (R), is running for governor. He was vice chairman of President Trump’s now-defunct election fraud commission.

McClendon will compete against Lucy Steyer, who is 17 years old, for the Democratic nomination.