Kansas Democratic Party rejects candidate over ‘alarming behavior,’ including circulating revenge porn

The Kansas Democratic Party has withdrawn support for a state legislature candidate who has admitted to misconduct, including circulating revenge porn.

Aaron Coleman, the party nominee for a reliably blue state House seat in the Kansas City area, defeated seven-term incumbent Rep. Stan Frownfelter by 14 votes in the Aug. 4 primary. Since then, the 19-year-old has admitted to circulating revenge porn and harassing girls online when he was 14.

Frownfelter has launched a write-in campaign, which state party spokesman Reeves Oyster said the party will back.

“The pattern of alarming behavior reported and exhibited by Mr. Coleman proves he is unfit to serve in the Kansas Legislature,” KDP spokeswoman Vicki Hiatt said in a statement. “The Party will in no way be helping Mr. Coleman’s candidacy or campaign.”

ActBlue, the fundraising platform used by Democratic candidates and left-leaning causes, has also disabled Coleman’s account, he said on Twitter on Tuesday.

Our actblue has somehow been disabled.

We are currently pursuing alternative avenues at this juncture.

Onwards to November!

— Aaron Coleman (@Aaron4KS37) August 25, 2020

Coleman admitted to the revenge porn and harassment allegations in June, saying he was a “sick and troubled 14-year-old boy” at the time, according to The Associated Press. Frownfelter’s campaign manager, Brandie Armstrong, has also alleged Coleman sent her a series of harassing messages and that while he stopped messaging her when she asked him to, he eventually came to her house.

Coleman said Monday that he was dropping out of the race. On Tuesday, however, he reversed course, saying he had been encouraged to stay in the race by “many people.”

“They said that they did not vote for me expecting that I was a perfect person. They told me that all of us have sinned, and we all make mistakes,” Coleman said. “Voters do not throw out a 7-term incumbent for a person like myself unless they are deeply frustrated with their lack of representation and demanding a change.”