Possible future representative raises questions about safety
LANSING, Mich., April 14, 2022 — State Rep. Samantha Steckloff (D-Farmington Hills) and state Rep. Brenda Carter (D-Pontiac) authored a letter yesterday to House Speaker Jason Wentworth regarding Robert Regan’s continued candidacy for state House given his violent rhetoric and extremist views, seeking answers to questions the Speaker and Republican Leaders have thus far avoided addressing.
“Robert Regan, a violent conspiracy theorist who has faced allegations of domestic abuse, consistently promoted violence and antisemitism online, and encouraged women to ‘lie back and enjoy’ rape, stands a legitimate chance of being elected as state representative in just 3 weeks,” Steckloff said. “It is high time for Speaker Wentworth to disclose what actions he plans on taking to protect House members and staff in the event he is sworn in this May.”
The letter cites an official statement authored in 2020 by then-Speaker Lee Chatfield along with Wentworth disavowing the candidacy of Paul Smith, who came out in defense of the suspects in the plot to kidnap Gov. Gretchen Whitmer and called the plot a “totally bogus sham.”
“In 2020, House Republican Leadership swiftly condemned extremist views and said unequivocally that conspiracy theories and hateful remarks don’t reflect the values of the House Republican Caucus,” Carter said. “While the Speaker has called Regan’s views ‘disturbing,’ he has stopped short of providing any meaningful statements on how he plans to ensure a safe and harassment-free environment. We ask then, what about the values of the Republican caucus has changed since 2020 that you are now willing to embrace conspiracy theories, violence and misogyny?”
“I commend Representatives Steckloff and Carter for raising these urgent questions,” said House Democratic Leader Donna Lasinski (D-Scio Township), “and I look forward to Speaker Wentworth laying out what action he plans to take to ensure a harassment-free environment should Regan be elected in May.”