Aaron Coleman looked like a rising star in the Democratic Party of Kansas after he defeated a seven-term state congressman in the party's primary for House District 37. What made his achievement even more impressive was his age, a tender 19. But things have come crashing down for the budding politician after a revelation about his dark past.
It turns out that Coleman was in the habit of shamelessly harassing girls in his school by using their nude pictures and blackmailing them. Following the allegations and his acceptance of the charges, the teenage aspirant for a seat in the Kansas House of Representatives has decided to withdraw his candidature.
"After talking it over with my family and my supporters I have made the difficult decision to withdraw my name from the ballot as a Democratic nominee for House District 37," the former candidate said in an email statement.
Dark Past
The entire story emerged in the course of the primary campaign but Coleman was able to fend off allegations by saying that he regretted his past acts and has changed. However, the media picked up the thread, and on August 13, a local newspaper published an editorial with first-hand accounts from several victims of blackmail by Coleman.
Things became even more serious when The New York Times interviewed a 20-year old girl named Kati Hampton who narrated her ordeal at the hands of the politician when they were both in middle school. According to this lady, Coleman obtained a nude photograph of her from Snapchat and demanded that she supply him more such pictures of herself. "I just don't think he needs to be in a powerful position considering what he's done to girls," she said.
When she refused to comply, he shared that compromising picture on the internet with others. But this girl wasn't the only victim. The August 13 editorial revealed that Coleman was a habitual offender who targeted many girls in this way, almost pushing one of them to commit suicide because of the trauma.
Coleman's Withdrawal
Now, Coleman is using the illness of his father as another reason for withdrawing from the race. However, the pressure on him was building up, from within his own party also. Top politicians of the Democratic Party, including the governor of Kansas Laura Kelly, had called upon him to retract his nomination.
"My father was recently hospitalized and in combination with the recent developments in the race it has put a significant strain on my family. Their wellbeing is too important to me to continue as the nominee," Coleman stated. "For me and my family, I have no choice but to use medical hardship to take my name off the ballot and allow the Democratic precinct people to choose the next nominee."
