GOP candidate sparks outrage by saying ‘if rape is inevitable, you should just lie back and enjoy it’

Robert ‘RJ’ Regan also defends Russian president Vladimir Putin’s invasion of Ukraine

Robert “RJ” Regan, who won a special primary election for the Republican-leaning 74th House District, made the comments during a Facebook live on Sunday (Rescue Michigan Coalition)

Michigan state Republicans have condemned the comments by a GOP state House candidate who said he tells his daughters to enjoy rape if it’s inevitable.

“Having three daughters, I tell my daughters, ‘Well, if rape is inevitable, you should just lie back and enjoy it’,” Robert “RJ” Regan said during a Facebook Live broadcast on Sunday.

Mr Regan, who won a special primary election for the Republican-leaning 74th House District and is a Grand Rapids entrepreneur, was discussing how to defeat a tax increase and decertify the 2020 presidential election for the Republican group Rescue Michigan Coalition.

Attendee Amber Harris reacted, saying: “That was a shameful comment.”

Host Adam de Angeli went on to joke that the Facebook live may not stream “for much longer after what Robert said”. He also appeared to defend Mr Regan by saying that he was describing what “you should not do”.

Mr Regan, who has a history of peddling Covid-19 related conspiracy theories and sharing antisemitic rhetoric, also defended Russian president Vladimir Putin’s invasion of Ukraine.

“Putin said, ‘I have to protect my country, I have to protect my children, and I can’t count on the United States’,” Mr Regan said. “So what he did was took some proactive action, he went into Ukraine, knocked out the bio labs, knocked out the missile sites, so he can protect his people,” he said, referring to a QAnon conspiracy theory about bioweapons.

His comments have sparked severe outrage among Republicans.

Republican Tori Sachs of the Michigan Freedom Fund condemned Mr Regan and said that she teaches her daughters to stand up for themselves.

“RJ Regan’s disgusting and dehumanising comments on the horror of sexual assault along with his support of murderous dictator Vladimir Putin are despicable and completely disqualify him from holding public office,” Ms Sachs said, according to Fox17.

“I teach my four young daughters to stand up for themselves, to know their worth, and to fight back and speak out against creeps like Regan. RJ Regan doesn’t belong anywhere near the state Capitol, and that is why we endorsed and supported his opponent.”

Michigan Republican chairman ambassador Ron Weiser said: “Mr 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.”

Kent County chairman Rob VerHeulen said he was appalled by the comments. “These comments are offensive, dangerous and unbecoming of any candidate for public office,” he said, demanding an apology from Mr Regan.

Democrats also blasted Mr Regan and called on Republicans to denounce him.

Minority leader Jim Ananich asked if all Republicans shared the sentiment. “I would like to know, and I’d like to hear from my west Michigan Republican colleagues in this chamber and (in the House): Do you share those sentiments? Do you believe those reflect the values of Michigan, or even the values of your own party? Because I believe they do not,” Mr Ananich said.

Mr Regan has in the past also alleged that law enforcement’s response to the 6 January assault on US Capitol was “staged” and peddled false claims that Covid-19 vaccines do not work.