Embattled KS Rep. Aaron Coleman faces 2 election opponents. Could that help him win?

Freshman Kansas state Rep. Aaron Coleman has been embroiled in controversy, with a history of abusive behavior, and, more recently, two arrests. Now two Wyandotte County women are vying to bring him down in the Aug. 2 Democratic primary.

Yet though they have the funding and prominent support, some observers worry the challengers could split the vote in the district, helping the embattled incumbent eke out a win in the three-way race. Many are encouraging voters to pay attention and turn out to vote.

Faith Rivera, a longtime community activist, has been campaigning for the 37th District seat for roughly two years after calling for Coleman to be ousted for the abuse allegations against him. She is the more progressive candidate in the race, who admits she does not have the backing of the establishment, and has been known to ruffle feathers among government leaders in Kansas City, Kansas.

Melissa Oropeza is a health care professional with a doctorate in nursing who has secured the support of more traditional and establishment Democrats, and has won endorsements from several prominent unions. She also has raised the most money, more than $7,300 during the campaign, compared to Rivera’s $1,500.

Coleman has run an almost entirely self-funded campaign, according to a July campaign finance filing.

“I was shocked that (Aaron Coleman) was going to run again. He’s been an embarrassment to Wyandotte County and to the whole Kansas Legislature,” said longtime lobbyist and retired Unified Government public relations director Mike Taylor. “One of the bad things is he didn’t get assigned to any committees, so we in effect lost a state representative because he wasn’t there. He can vote on the floor, but not serving on any committees, he had no input there.”

The primary winner will go on to face Diana Whittington, the lone Republican candidate, in the general election.

The recently redrawn 37th House District lies in eastern Wyandotte County, generally bordered by Parallel Parkway on the north, Kansas Avenue on the south, 94th Street on the west and the county line on the east.

Aaron Coleman’s controversies

Coleman, now 21, has been arrested twice during his first term in office. He was also banned from the Kansas Department of Labor offices in Topeka after he berated a security guard. And he has been accused of a pattern of abusive behavior toward women, including physical abuse of an ex-girlfriend, as well as blackmail and revenge porn.

Lawmakers formed an investigative committee last year and found the abuse allegations against Coleman credible, but they took no action because the behavior occurred before he took office.

Earlier this year, Coleman received diversion after being charged with misdemeanor domestic battery for allegedly kicking and pushing his brother during an argument. And he was found guilty of one of two traffic infractions in Douglas County after he allegedly led state troopers on a brief pursuit on Interstate 70 and acted in an “erratic” manner when he was pulled over.

Coleman did not respond to The Star’s requests for an interview.

“I think it’ll be a good race between Faith and Melissa,” Taylor said. “Faith has been out campaigning and is well known in the community. She’s somebody who would go to Topeka and try to stir things up. Melissa is a more traditional candidate. It will be interesting to see what folks in the area do. But I don’t think Aaron will play enough of a role to cause a plurality or something. I will be shocked if he does.”

Some like Taylor think that Coleman is a long shot to win the primary. But others do worry that votes could be split between Rivera and Oropeza, possibly opening the door for Coleman to have a chance at reelection.

“It is a concern,” said state Sen. Pat Pettey, a Kansas City, Kansas, Democrat. “I am supporting Dr. Melissa Oropeza, and I’m very optimistic for her being successful. However, it is a three-way primary with two Hispanic women running against the incumbent.”

Taylor said the outcome of the primary will likely be partly determined by turnout, and whether more young, progressive voters show up to have a say on whether to remove abortion rights from the state constitution.

Activist Faith Rivera

Rivera, 43, is a lifelong Wyandotte County resident and pharmacy technician. She has been open about her personal experience escaping domestic abuse, which also has fueled her efforts to get Coleman out of office.

“I want to be an inspiration, not just for these women who are victims, but also for the community,” Rivera said. “I’ve been homeless. I’ve lived in a hotel, lived in my car. I’ve had food stamps. I know what it’s like. But I’m working my way to becoming more. Despite what we’ve been through, we’re worth something.”

Rivera has worked as a voting rights activist, fighting for polling places to be fairly located, for example. She has advocated for several local issues, and was among the residents who sued to block the state’s new congressional map, alleging that its redrawn district boundaries are a racial and partisan gerrymander.

“Faith is very well known for speaking truth to power, and doing so doesn’t always make her the most popular person in the room,” Kansas state Rep. Susan Ruiz, a Shawnee Democrat, said. “However, this does not stop her from carrying the voice of the people in the community. … Faith’s reputation of listening and taking action has led her to also help organize rallies to speak out against injustices to women, especially women of color.”

If elected, Rivera said that she would push for redistricting reform, raising the state’s minimum wage from $7.25 to $15 an hour, legalizing marijuana, reinforcing women’s reproductive rights and expanding access to health care and Medicaid.

Challenger Melissa Oropeza

Oropeza, 45, was born and raised in Wyandotte County and has 23 years of experience in health care. In 2020, she graduated with a doctorate in nursing practice from the University of Missouri-Kansas City, and for the past 11 years, she has worked as a nurse practitioner. Oropeza previously ran for the Board of Public Utilities.

“Watching everything during the pandemic, listening to everything going on, I knew that things can be done better,” Oropeza said. “Having that nursing and health care perspective in Topeka would be helpful. I want to bring that data- and research-driven mindset to Topeka.”

Oropeza supports expanding Medicaid and access to health care, as well as improving opportunities for students to gain education and training after graduation. She also believes she could offer a unique perspective to the debate on women’s reproductive rights, and worries that removing abortion rights from the constitution would drive residents and health care workers from the state.

“What are they going to push our health care providers into? Will you have people that say, ‘this is too much stress for me. I just had a pandemic. Now I could be prosecuted or go to jail for helping with care’?” Oropeza said. “It’s not even about abortion. It’s more about restricting access to care. It’s more about putting undue pressure on our health care workers. And I can see it snowballing into something that could be really detrimental for the state of Kansas.”

Pettey, the Democratic state senator, is supporting Oropeza in the race, arguing that she is the most qualified and would offer a needed perspective and expertise in the statehouse.

She encouraged Wyandotte County residents to pay attention and vote, saying that, “we don’t deserve to have someone that’s repeatedly breaking the law, that has no respect for authority and does not want to work through the legislative process.”

In 2020, Coleman, then 19, defeated incumbent Stan Frownfelter in the Democratic primary by 14 votes.

“I’m hopeful that those that live in the 37th District are looking at all of the issues that are on the ballot,” Pettey said. “Because we only get what we vote for. And if we don’t go out and vote, then we have no one to blame but ourselves for the representation we have.”

Voters can cast ballots in the Aug. 2 primary early or on Election Day, with polls open from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m.