- Aaron Coleman, a 20-year-old progressive Democrat, won Tuesday's election to represent Kansas' 37th District in the state House of Representatives.
- Coleman's campaign has ben plagued by scandal. In June, he admitted to spreading revenge porn and harassing girls online when he was 14, and in July, he made insensitive comments about the COVID-19 pandemic.
- While Coleman initially dropped out of the race after beating seven-term incumbent Stan Frownfelter in an August primary, he decided two days later to continue his campaign.
- However, Coleman had by then lost support of the state's Democratic Party, which scrambled to find a replacement, which included backing a write-in campaign for Frownfelter.
- On Election Day, Coleman ran unopposed in the Democratic stronghold district, winning 3,496 of the votes. More than 2,000 write-in votes were cast, but it's unclear what names were submitted.
The 20-year-old Democrat who earlier admitted to circulating revenge porn and harassing girls online in middle school has won a seat in the Kansas state House of Representatives.
Aaron Coleman, a dishwasher and community college student, ran unopposed in Kansas' 37th District, which encompasses part of Kansas City.
Coleman won Tuesday's election with 3,496 votes, KSHB reported. More than 2,000 write-in votes were counted, but it's unclear what names were submitted.
In June, Coleman admitted to allegations that he bullied and threatened girls online when he was 14 years old, including calling one girl fat and saying she should kill herself, and circulating a nude image of another girl when she refused to send him more pictures, according to The New York Times.
—Rep.-elect Aaron Coleman (@Aaron4KS37) November 4, 2020
In July, he was also widely criticized for making insensitive comments about the COVID-19 pandemic. According to the Kansas Reflector, Coleman mocked the death of former GOP presidential candidate Herman Cain — who died of the coronavirus — and said he would "giggle" if former state GOP Rep. John Whitmer caught the virus and died. Coleman later apologized for his comments.
Despite the scandals, Coleman beat seven-term incumbent Stan Frownfelter, also a Democrat, in the August primary, albeit by a narrow 14 votes.
Coleman apologized for the bullying and revenge porn in a statement to The Kansas City Star after winning the primary.
"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.
But this wasn't good enough for the state Democratic Party, which refused to back Coleman as a candidate.
Coleman actually dropped out at one point after the primary, but continued with the campaign two days later, saying the fact that he won even with his background was a strong message from voters.
"They said that they did not vote for me expecting that I was a perfect person," he said in a statement on Twitter, according to The Hill. "They told me that all of us have sinned, and we all make mistakes."
"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."
The state Democratic party scrambled to present an alternative candidate, backing a write-in campaign for Frownfelter, KSHB reported.
On Wednesday, Coleman tweeted: "Thank you to all of my supporters. This campaign would not have been possible without you. I promise to work hard to serve the residents of this district."
—Rep.-elect Aaron Coleman (@Aaron4KS37) November 4, 2020