House Speaker Dickey Lee Hullinghorst, D-Boulder, and state Rep. Rhonda Fields, D-Aurora, on Tuesday called on House District 42 candidate Eric Nelson to withdraw from the race after an investigation by The Colorado Statesman raised questions about numerous claims made over the years by the Aurora Democrat. Fields, who represents the seat Nelson is seeking but is term-limited, also called on him to step down from the Aurora Public Schools Board.

The president and vice president of the APS Board also expressed concern about Nelson in the aftermath of The Statesman’s reporting and said they planned to review the situation.

Nelson, 38, was elected to the school board in 2013 and is on the ballot in a Democratic primary with Dominique “Nikki” Jackson for the HD 42 seat. It turns out Nelson has an extensive criminal record – including numerous arrests in Colorado that remain under seal – stretching back to the late 1990s, according to court documents and law enforcement records.  He also has a history of claiming he served as an officer in the Air Force and posting photographs of himself in a major’s uniform, when Department of Defense records obtained by The Statesman show he served just eight weeks in the service before being discharged. In addition, Nelson was once married to two women at the same time, has claimed advanced degrees from universities that have no record of him attending and has been in trouble for failing to keep up with court-ordered child-support payments.

“My opponent and her mentors are doing everything in their power to dump negativity in my campaign,” Nelson told The Statesman on Monday when asked about discrepancies between his claims and official records. Nelson acknowledged portions of his criminal past but characterized it as something he’s left behind. “I’m wiser now and I’ve learned some life lessons,” he said, although records show he was arrested for a violent felony as recently as five years ago.

Fields pulled no punches in a statement issued Tuesday.

“Impersonating a military officer, violence against women, bigamy, dodging child support payments? This pattern of behavior is deeply disturbing to me, it’s unacceptable in a leader, it goes against everything Democrats stand for, and I believe the people of Aurora and the state of Colorado deserve better. Therefore, I call on Eric Nelson to immediately withdraw his candidacy for state representative and to resign his seat on the school board,” she said.

Nelson didn’t respond to a request for comment.

Hullinghorst said she was “add[ing] her voice to the growing number of Democratic House members” urging Nelson to end his bid to join their ranks.

“I was shocked to see the information that has been reported over the last two days regarding the serious issues in Eric Nelson’s background,” she said in a statement. “The people of Colorado have the right to expect the highest levels of integrity from their elected officials; with the information that has come to light, it’s clear that Eric Nelson does not represent the Democratic Party and is not fit to be elected to the state legislature in Colorado. I call on him to withdraw from the House District 42 race in Aurora and I enthusiastically endorse his Democratic primary opponent, Dominique Jackson, for the June 28th primary election. I believe Dominique will be an excellent representative for the people of Aurora.”

On Monday, in response to material unearthed by The Statesman, the chair of the state Democratic Party organization dedicated to electing House Democrats encouraged Nelson to drop out of the race and said it was throwing its resources behind Jackson.

Voters received mail ballots lasts week for the June 28 primary election.

As for his seat on the school board, two of his fellow members said Tuesday that they wanted answers, and one told Nelson that he was rescinding his endorsement in the House race.

“I was made aware of the story within the Colorado Statesman this morning,”said APS Board Vice President Dan Jorgensen in a statement first obtained by the Aurora Sentinel. “I’m very concerned about the expressed allegations along with the fact that these claims were never brought to light prior to the 2013 APS Board election. Based on the presented allegations, his participation on the Board appears to be under false pretense and lacks the transparency to the community in which all APS Board members are expected to demonstrate and we actively strive to meet. Thus, I will be reaching out to our Board president to work on a formal statement in this regard that will include a request for action at our upcoming meeting. Also, I will be contacting Mr. Nelson today to not use my name as an endorsement to the HD42 seat.”

APS Board President Amber Drevon released a brief statement Tuesday afternoon: “The APS Board of Education recently learned about the allegations regarding Eric Nelson. We take this matter seriously. The Board will review all facts and take appropriate action, as needed.”

The board next meets for a scheduled work session on June 21.

– ernest@coloradostatesman.com