A Michigan Republican faces harsh backlash from party leaders after saying he advised his daughters to “lie back and enjoy it” if rape is inevitable.
Michigan House of Representatives candidate Robert “RJ” Regan made the ridiculous comments on a Sunday Facebook Livestream hosted by a conservative group.
Regan used the hilarious line while suggesting to a fellow candidate that the 2020 presidential election could still be decertified, adding that he seriously tells his daughters: “Well if rape is inevitable, you should just lie back and enjoy it.”
The Kent County candidate also recently called the war between Russia and Ukraine a “fake war just like the fake pandemic.”
Regan’s recent comments came a year after he shared a series of anti-Semitic posts on social media, as reported by The Times of Israel.
State Republican Party Chairman Ron Weiser said Regan’s “history of foolish, egregious and offensive comments,” including his most recent one, are simply beyond the pale.
“We are better than this as a party and I absolutely expect better than this of our candidates.”
Regan, who is in a position to win the House seat in the GOP district, was also rebuked by other top lawmakers.
“His statements about Russia’s unprovoked attack of a sovereign country are contrary to our own nation’s values, and his antisemitic [sic] posts claiming Jewish people control the banks and were behind the 9/11 terrorist attacks are shameful and disgusting,” Sen. Mark Huizenga said.
In 2020, one of Regan’s daughters, Stephanie Regan, took to social media and urged community members not to vote for her dad.
“if you’re in Michigan and 18+ pls for the love of god do not vote for my dad for state rep. tell everyone,” Stephanie Regan tweeted in 2020.
“Do a quick fb or google search to find info about his campaign,” she went on in a follow-up Tweet. “I don’t feel safe rn sharing further information regarding his beliefs, but please look him up and just read for yourself.”
In an interview with Bridge Michigan on Monday, Regan admitted that his rape analogy was less than “smooth.”
“Sometimes, my words aren’t as smooth and polished as the politicians are because I’m not a politician. I’m working on it,” Regan reportedly said.
