Kansas Democrat Aaron Coleman, a 20-year-old who admitted being abusive to his ex-girlfriend last year and circulating “revenge porn” when he was in middle school, won a seat in the Kansas House.
“Coleman shouldn’t be allowed anywhere near the Legislature – or the governor,” the Kansas City Star editorial board wrote Friday.
The editorial board was referencing one of Coleman’s now-deleted tweets from last week, which allegedly said he could “call out a hit” on Democrat Kansas Gov. Laura Kelly.
But Kansas Democrats, who remain the minority in the legislature, will not get any help from Republicans to stop Coleman from assuming office.
Democrat lawmakers intend to file a complaint saying that Coleman is unfit to serve, but without Republican votes to back them up, the complaint will have nothing to stand on, according to the Star editorial board.
“I haven’t received a request to unseat him, but I think in a democracy we have a responsibility to uphold the integrity of our elections,” Kansas House Speaker Ron Ryckman, a Republican, said, according to the Star editorial board. “I’d be leery of an attempt to override the vote of the people.”
Coleman, a self-proclaimed progressive, tweeted Friday that Democrats “hate progressives more than they hate GOP.”
In September, Coleman used his ex-girlfriend’s accusations of abuse against him as a case for “Medicare for All.”
Taylor Passow, Coleman’s ex-girlfriend, alleged that while they were still dating, he slapped her and attempted to choke her once during an argument in December 2019, the Intercept reported.
“While it is true I was abusive to my ex-girlfriend, I do not agree with the characterization being made about our experience in the hot tub the day after Christmas,” Coleman wrote in a statement on Sunday. “I did not choke her. I also don’t think she is intentionally lying, as I know large quantities of alcohol could be affecting both of our memories.”
Coleman defeated two write-in challengers last Tuesday, including Democrat incumbent Rep. Stan Frownfelter.
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