Robert "RJ" Regan (top, middle) said on a Facebook Live broadcast that he tells his daughters: "If rape is inevitable, you should just lie back and enjoy it."
Photo provided/Facebook Live broadcast for the Republican group Rescue Michigan CoalitionA Michigan Republican running for the House of Representatives said during a Facebook Live broadcast on Sunday that he tells his daughters "if rape is inevitable, you should just lie back and enjoy it."
Robert "RJ" Regan, who won the GOP special primary in the state’s 74th district last week, was advocating for decertifying the 2020 presidential election during a live stream for the conservative group Rescue Michigan Coalition when he commented.
Roughly 10 minutes into the broadcast, Regan advocated for overturning the results of the 2020 presidential election, telling another participant who said it is too late to do anything that her attitude is like what he tells his three daughters: "Well if rape is inevitable, you should just lie back and enjoy it."
"That was a shameful comment," attendee Amber Harris said in response.
Host Adam de Angeli then joked that the show might not stream "for much longer after what Robert said."
State Republican Party Chairman Ron Weiser on Tuesday denounced Regan's remarks, though he congratulated Regan on the win last week, according to reporting by The Associated Press.
Weiser said in a statement that 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."
Similar condemnations were made by the Kent County GOP chairman, House Speaker Jason Wentworth and Sen. Mark Huizenga, whose elevation to the chamber last fall opened up the Republican-heavy seat that Regan is favored to fill in a May election. Democrats and the conservative Michigan Freedom Fund had begun rebuking Regan on Monday, according to reporting by The AP.
"As a Christian, a public servant and a father of two daughters, I find Robert Regan’s comments about sexual assault to be revolting and immoral, and I strongly denounce them," Huizenga said in a statement. "His statements about Russia’s unprovoked attack of a sovereign country are contrary to our own nation’s values, and his antisemitic posts claiming Jewish people control the banks and were behind the 9/11 terrorist attacks are shameful and disgusting."
Regan, who won his primary last week, lost the same race in 2020 after a viral tweet from his daughter, Stephanie Regan, warned against electing him.
In a follow-up tweet, Stephanie wrote that her father was Robert Regan and called on voters to research his campaign, stating: "I don’t feel safe rn sharing further information regarding his beliefs, but please look him up and just read for yourself."
In response to the tweets, Regan said, unlike his daughter, he doesn’t believe white privilege exists and said he thinks their differing opinions on the matter could have prompted her tweet, according to reporting by thehill.com.
Regan did not respond to multiple requests for comment.
If elected, he will serve through 2022 and has indicated he will also run later this year for a full two-year term. according to reporting by The AP.
Democrats said Republicans should try to remove Regan from the special general election ballot.
"Anything short of that shows support for this kind of toxic rhetoric," Kent County Democratic Party Chair Bill Saxton said in a statement.
Regan will now face Carol Glanville, a Democrat, in the special election for the seat on May 3, according to reporting by huffpost.com.
