Democrats disavow 19-year-old Jewish nominee as 'unfit'

Should Coleman win the election in November, the party will likely launch an effort to keep him from being seated.

AUGUST 27, 2020 16:19

Aaron Coleman is a 19 years old community college student from Kansas City, Kansas. (photo credit: Courtesy) — Aaron Coleman is a 19 years old community college student from Kansas City, Kansas.

(photo credit: Courtesy)

A 19-year-old Jewish college student who won the Democratic nomination for the state House of Representatives, only to withdraw and then reenter the race, has been disavowed by his own party for being "unfit" for office, the Associated Press reported Thursday.

Following his reentry into the race after allegations of his harassment of girls in middle school forced him to quit, the state's Democratic Party declared Aaron Coleman "unfit" due to his "alarming behavior." As a result, Kansas Democratic Party chair Vicki Hiatt claimed the party is looking to find an alternative nominee.

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

According to the top Democrat in the Kansas House, Tom Sawyer, the party is endorsing a write-in campaign from longtime incumbent Stan Frownfelter, who Coleman had beaten in the primary. Should Coleman win the election in November, the party will likely launch an effort to keep him from being seated, Sawyer explained, according to AP.

Coleman made waves for his victory in the Democratic primary, defeating longtime incumbent Stan Frownfelter for the nomination by just 14 votes. With no Republican name on the ballot, Coleman's victory seemed certain. However, he quit the race barely a week later after it came to light that he had harassed numerous girls when he was in middle school, something he confessed to when speaking to The Kansas City Star.

“I regret my past actions and hope to continually learn from them as I grow into the person I hope to be & My dad is in the hospital and I never expected this kind of attention. It’s too much. I need to focus on taking care of my family & surviving the COVID great depression,” he explained.

However, Coleman reentered the race on Tuesday, explaining in a video statement entitled "Onwards to November" that "From the moment I won, I have endured sustained attacks... I obviously did not expect to have my entire personal life, especially what I did in middle school, put under that kind of national microscope.

"My withdrawal would immediately return the power to corporatist, out-of-touch 7-term incumbent that voters just rejected."

Jerusalem Post Staff contributed to this report.