19-year-old candidate leading in local Kansas race admits to revenge porn, blackmail

[RandySF]

TOPEKA, Kan. — Democrats are scrambling to deal with the strong possibility that a 19-year-old candidate for a Kansas House seat in Kansas City will unseat a veteran lawmaker despite making incendiary comments on social media and acknowledging abusive behavior online toward girls in middle school.

Aaron Coleman, a dishwasher and community college student, holds a five-vote lead over seven-term state Rep. Stan Frownfelter, a 69-year-old small business owner. Officials in their home of Wyandotte County are scheduled to meet Monday to review provisional ballots and decide whether to count them, potentially altering Coleman's 807-802 lead in voting.

Coleman is running a liberal platform that includes universal health coverage, eliminating college tuition, defunding the police and legalizing marijuana. But he received more attention for a social media post suggesting he would “laugh and giggle” if a former GOP state lawmaker died of COVID-19, another post endorsing abortion up to the moment of birth and a third acknowledging that allegations that he engaged in online bullying, blackmail and revenge porn were true. He apologized for the comments and said his past behavior targeting several middle-school girls was that of "a sick and troubled” 14-year-old.

Some Democrats are struggling with the possibility that with no Republican on the ballot in the 37th District this fall, Coleman could sit in the House come January. Frownfelter argues that Coleman's nomination could hurt Democrats' efforts to pick up seats in the GOP-controlled Legislature.

“He is not fit to serve in the Legislature,” said Lauren Fitzgerald, a spokeswoman for Democratic Gov. Laura Kelly.

Coleman also ran as an independent write-in candidate for governor in 2018. He attributed the results of the House primary to his door-to-door campaigning and said in an email to The Associated Press that he was “absolutely shocked” by the results.



https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/politics-news/teen-leading-kansas-race-admits-blackmail-revenge-porn-n1236872

[JustAnotherGen]

1. This seems tit for tat

"Both sides do it" media nonsense in response to Qnon <--- (deliberate) lady in NC being in D.C. come January.

[betsuni]

2. One of his tweets: "I despise biden and the DNC ... ."

[aeromanKC]

3. Ya, when was 14

I'm just glad i didn't have social media when I was a teen. (I'm pretty sure I'm not alone)

But with that being said yes, he just might still be too immature for the state legislature but good for him for being involved and trying to make a difference. We are much better for their involvement!! And I say good luck to him. I hope he wins.

[dansolo]

4. So you have no problems with revenge porn?

So if someone says they are in favor of MFA, free college, and pot legalization, then you will just disregard all of the other disgusting, misogynistic behavior?

[aeromanKC]

6. I'm just saying he was 14

He was a minor. A lot of us might as well not even join society when we turn 18 if we are held accountable for shit we did in middle school. We thought it was funny at the time putting a red food color water balloon in Julie's seat. Granted that is not what kids today have to deal with, but we were immature 14 year olds nonetheless. Again, I'm glad we didn't have social media when we were in school. For sure, at the least, we would have been busted for cheating on tests.

But of course, if he did it as an adult, Lock him up!! But I do like him getting involved. We need more of that with the younger voters!!

[MrsCoffee]

10. He spread a naked photo around of a girl because she wouldn't give him more naked photos.

That is NOT “Boys being boys”.

Social media is not the fucking problem here.

Red food coloring and cheating on tests my ass. For fuck’s sake.

[Hortensis]

12. Agree with you and with Aeroman within limits.

The limit is definitely reached with hoping he wins. And running as a Democrat, for fuck's sake!

I think Aeroman badly underestimates the critical importance of good character (hell, even barely adequate!) in those we put in power. Most 14-year-olds do not do what he did.

Given what's known about this one so far, voters should let him get another 20 years of behavior on him to evaluate before they even consider it.

[RandySF]

13. But he may have ruined someone else's life in the process.

He is only five years removed from the incident and seems to have the same smarmy attitude. He may not be legally liable but he's not fit for office. And since he openly hates Biden, he's not fit to be a Democratic nominee.

[Luciferous]

8. Yeah, even for 14 that is extreme.

[Bengus81]

5. Quick send him to one of those Republican type "camps" He'll be fixed in a couple of weeks

[Luciferous]

7. Blackmail and revenge porn?! He should drop out of the race.

[Gothmog]

9. Lock him up

[HotTeaBag]

11. "He is not fit to serve in the Legislature".

No he is not - good for Governor Kelly's spokesperson to call out this punk.

There should be zero tolerance for this sort of crap - we don't tolerate it when it's a Republican and we should absolutely not tolerate it when it's a Democrat.

[Codeine]

14. He needs the shit beaten out of him.

Smarmy little fuck.

[Eugene]

15. Kansas Democrat, 19, Who Admitted to Revenge Porn, Ekes Out Primary Win

Kansas Democrat, 19, Who Admitted to Revenge Porn, Ekes Out Primary Win (New York Times)

Aaron Coleman defeated a seven-term incumbent for a state House seat by 14 votes, alarming Democrats who worry he will hurt other candidates in the general election.

Aaron Coleman admitted that he harassed girls online when he was in middle school. He called one sixth-grade girl fat and told her she should kill herself.

Seven years ago, he told another girl, who was 13 at the time, that he would circulate a naked photo of her if she didn’t send him more nude images. When she refused, she said, he followed through on his threat.

“They’re accurate,” Mr. Coleman, 19, said of the women’s claims.

On Monday, Mr. Coleman, a dishwasher and community college student, was declared the winner of a Democratic primary for a seat in the Kansas House of Representatives, defeating the incumbent, Stan Frownfelter, by 14 votes. The final count was 823 to 809.

https://www.nytimes.com/2020/08/19/us/politics/aaron-coleman-kansas.html