Jackson County Executive
August 4, 2026 · Jackson County, Missouri · County · primary
How do we calculate vote impact?
Vote impact = representation (how much weight one vote carries here, the smaller the district's population, the higher the representation) + decisiveness (how likely this race is to be close, based on past results and number of candidates).
Representation: Low · 5 out of 100
This district is large for its type, so each vote is a smaller slice of the outcome. About 719,976 people live here.
score = 100 × ln(largest population ÷ this district's) ÷ ln(largest ÷ smallest), rounded to 2 decimals = 100 × ln(995,569 ÷ 719,976) ÷ ln(995,569 ÷ 1,934) = 5.19, comparing counties in MO (grades: 66+ high, 33+ average, otherwise low)
Decisiveness: Unknown
No past results for this contest yet.
Low representation + unknown decisiveness → Below average vote impact.
Some data is missing, so this rating is based on partial information and capped at "High".
County Executive is responsible for:
- Running county government day to day, like a mayor for the county
- Proposing the county budget
- Overseeing county departments and hiring their leaders
- Hearing certain court cases in some Texas counties, where this office is called County Judge or County Judge/Executive
Affected Areas: Environment and Public Health, Government Efficiency, Healthcare Affordability, Government Spending Reduction, Public Safety and Crime Control, Housing Affordability, Social Programs and Welfare, Public Infrastructure
Candidates
Alan Rohlfing
Republican · declared
2026 Republican candidate for Jackson County Executive on the certified August primary ballot; focused searches found no verified campaign website or prior public office.
Bill Baird
Democratic · declared
Former two-term Lee's Summit mayor and former Lee's Summit R-7 school-board member, with experience in teaching, real estate, and business, running for Jackson County Executive.
Records: Government Efficiency 1 for, Government Spending Reduction 1 for
Dan T. Tarwater III
Democratic · declared
Former Jackson County legislator with more than two decades of county-government experience, now running for Jackson County Executive.
Records: Environment and Public Health 1 for, Public Safety and Crime Control 1 for
Holmes Osborne
Democratic · declared
Metropolitan Community College trustee, chartered financial analyst, and investment-firm principal running for Jackson County Executive.
Manuel “Manny” Abarca IV
Democratic · declared
Jackson County 1st District legislator and 2026 Legislature chair, former Kansas City Public Schools board treasurer, and candidate for Jackson County Executive.
Records: Housing Affordability 1 for, Public Safety and Crime Control 2 for
Ryan Meyer
Democratic · declared
Political and marketing consultant with a master's degree in economics, longtime campaign experience, and a prior 2022 county-legislature candidacy, now running for Jackson County Executive.
Stacy Lake
Democratic · declared
Civil-litigation attorney, small-firm owner, former translator, and 2026 Democratic candidate for Jackson County Executive who also sought the office in 2022.
Election sources
Source: jcebmo.org
Source: jcebmo.org
Source: kceb.org
Source: drive.google.com
Source: drive.google.com