Jason Kander will challenge Republican U.S. Sen. Roy Blunt in 2016

Democratic Missouri Secretary of State Jason Kander will run for Republican Roy Blunt's U.S. Senate seat in 2016, Kander said Thursday.

"For years, even with our economy suffering at home and our national security threatened abroad, too many politicians in both political parties have been more concerned with scoring political points than doing what's right for our country," Kander said in an announcement video released by his campaign.

According to the St. Louis Business Journal, Kander was elected as a state representative in 2009 and secretary of state in 2012. He's from Kansas City.

Kander has support from Gov. Jay Nixon, Attorney General Chris Koster, and U.S. Sen. Claire McCaskill, among others, he said.

Read more from the St. Louis Business Journal.