Jordan J. Herrera is a veteran, attorney, and public servant running for Congress to bring principled, results-driven leadership to Missouri’s 4th District. With over 16 years of service in the United States Air Force and a current role as Assistant Attorney General for the State of Missouri, Jordan’s life has been defined by one unshakable belief: leadership means showing up when it matters most.

Born into working-class hardship and raised in the Midwest, Jordan understands the struggles many families face because he’s lived them. He didn’t come from privilege or power. He came from a place where success wasn’t expected, but where perseverance and public service became a way out and a way forward. From early on, Jordan learned that when systems fail, people must step in. That’s what inspired his service in the military, his pursuit of law, and now, his campaign for Congress.

In the Air Force, Jordan rose through the ranks as a Biomedical Equipment Engineer, leading operations across more than 70 military installations worldwide. He managed multimillion-dollar budgets, oversaw medical logistics and construction, and earned recognition as one of the top leaders in his command. After military service, he accelerated through law school, earning his J.D. in two years and focusing on constitutional law, civil justice, and privacy rights.

This campaign was built upon a simple question found in the Parable of the Good Samaritan. Christ tells the story of a man beaten, robbed, stripped naked, and left for dead along the road. Men of status and authority pass him by. A priest passes him by. A Levite passes him by. Each sees suffering and chooses not to act. Then a Samaritan arrives. The Samaritan was the last person anyone would have expected to become the hero of the story, yet he is the one who stops, kneels beside the wounded man, renders aid, and carries his burden. The lesson of the Good Samaritan is Not about who qualifies to be your neighbor. The lesson is whether we are willing to accept the invitation to become one to someone else. That principle is the foundation of this campaign.

Every generation receives its own invitation. Today, that invitation may look like a veteran struggling to access healthcare after defending this nation. It may look like a single mother working two or three jobs and still unable to afford rent, groceries, and childcare. It may look like a senior citizen being taxed out of their home, a young person unable to imagine a future for themselves, or a Black American whose access to the ballot box is threatened after generations fought and bled for the right to vote. The question before us is the same question posed in the parable: will we walk by, or will we stop and help?

I believe leadership is not about titles. It is about service. It is about courage and compassion, the willingness to carry another person’s burden when they cannot carry it alone. My political philosophy has always been simple: legislation exists for those without power, not for those who were born into opportunity and choice. Government exists to create dignity, opportunity, and security for ordinary people. That belief is rooted in my own life. I know what it means to grow up without privilege. I know what it means to struggle, to sacrifice, to serve, and to overcome adversity. I know what it means to stand on a battlefield and wonder whether I am coming home. Those experiences taught me that public service is not about authority. It is about responsibility.