Aaron Coleman, the 19-year-old who beat a seven-term state representative in Kansas’s primary this month, is dropping out of the race.
He announced the decision on Twitter Sunday.
After talking with my family and my supporters, I’ve made the decision to withdraw as the Democratic nominee for HD 37 so I can focus on caring for my family. Now our party can pick a new nominee. #ksleg https://t.co/CwmR6aQwl9
— Aaron Coleman 🌹 (@Aaron4KS37) August 23, 2020
Coleman, a dishwasher and student at a local community college, made headlines earlier this month when he beat Rep. Stan Frownfelter, a 69-year-old small business owner who has served as a member of the Kansas House of Representatives since 2007. According to The Associated Press, Coleman won the primary contest for a seat in Kansas House 37th District by 14 votes. Frownfelter had faced no opponent in five of his seven previous elections.
But Coleman’s age and experience aren’t what troubled Democrats most about the teen representing the party.
He received backlash for a social media post suggesting he would “laugh and giggle” if a former GOP state lawmaker died of COVID-19 and another post supporting abortion up to the moment of birth.
He also admitted to claims that he had bullied and blackmailed teenage girls online when he was in middle school.
Coleman, who told the AP he was “absolutely shocked” by the win, attributed the victory to his diligent door-to-door campaigning.
“I ran to talk about how to make Kansas better for working people,” he said. “I never expected I would win.”
Frownfelter said he believes Coleman won because of high voter turnout among younger people who didn’t know about Coleman’s past comments.
“I’m new at politics and so sometimes I speak a little too directly,” Coleman told the AP on Aug. 14.
His victory was announced Aug. 17. He won with a total of 823 votes.
Rep. Tom Sawyer, Wichita’s Democrat House Minority Leader, said Coleman is not cut out to be a state representative.
Shannon Golden, executive director of the Kansas Republican Party, told The Kansas City Star Coleman is “clearly unfit” for the role.
There were no Republican candidates on the ballot for the seat.
Strong. Bold. Leadership. www.aaronforkansashouse.com
Posted by Aaron Coleman for Kansas on Sunday, August 2, 2020
A now 18-year-old woman spoke out against Coleman’s bid, saying he consistently bullied her when she was in sixth grade. She said he called her fat, told her to kill herself and treated her like she was worthless, The Kansas City Star reported.
Another woman said he attempted to blackmail her.
“He got one of my nudes and blackmailed me with it and told me if I didn’t send him more he would (send) it to all of my friends and family,” she wrote on social media. “And when I didn’t send him more, he sent it to everyone I knew. I don’t know how he got the picture. All I know is he’s an awful person and he should not be allowed to run for anything.”
“I made serious mistakes in middle school and I deeply regret and apologize for them. I’ve grown up a great deal since then,” Coleman said in a statement in response to the allegations.
“The charges include: bullying, revenge porn, and blackmail — I just want to make clear all these allegations are both true and occurred only digitally. I denounce these actions and they are the actions of a sick and troubled 14-yo boy,” Coleman wrote in a Facebook post.
Coleman also said that he was diagnosed with post traumatic stress disorder at age 15 and that he had problems due, in part, to spending “the vast majority” of his elementary school education “in a closet” instead of getting proper help at school. He said he was home-schooled in middle school.
He said Sunday that he “made the decision to withdraw as the Democratic nominee for HD 37 so [he] can focus on caring for [his] family.” Coleman also said his father is hospitalized.
On Aug. 1, Coleman apologized for some of his comments on social media, saying, “I apologize to the Democratic Party for my actions, which are in no way a reflection of the party’s ideals.”
“There’s no such thing as a perfect candidate, and I’ll be the first to admit I’ve made mistakes,” he wrote in another post. “I am not perfect and don’t think I ever will be, but I do love my community ... I hope you [will] join me in a journey of growth to become a better person.”
Local Democratic Party officials will choose Coleman’s replacement, according to the AP.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Cox Media Group
