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Wyandotte County election board certifies win for 19-year-old

frownfelter coleman.jpg
Posted at 3:55 PM, Aug 17, 2020
and last updated 2020-08-17 16:55:05-04

KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Nearly two weeks after the primary elections earlier this month, the Wyandotte County Board of Canvassers certified a 19-year-old as the winner of a Kansas House of Representatives primary race.

After the first batch of ballots were counted, Aaron Coleman, 19, held a five-vote lead, 807 to 802, over incumbent Rep. Stan Frownfelter in the Democratic primary for the 37th District.

Wyandotte County Election Commissioner Bruce Newby said Monday afternoon that following a final count of ballots, election canvassers updated the vote total and certified the results with Coleman increasing his margin to 14 votes, 823 to 809.

No Republican filed to run for office in the district, meaning Coleman, who ran unsuccessfully for governor as an independent write-in candidate in 2018, will be the only name on the ballot for the Nov. 3 general election.

Thus, Coleman, who admitted to The Associated Press on Monday that details about revenge porn investigated by The Kansas City Star were accurate, is the presumptive winner, barring a well-orchestrated write-in campaign.

Coleman drew the ire of Kansas Democrats for several social media posts, including screeds about abortion and coronavirus for which he later apologized after deleting the posts.

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