Regan blames special state House election loss on ‘coup’ from ‘RINO establishment’

The day after far-right Republican Robert Regan lost a special state House election Tuesday in a surprise upset, Regan blamed establishment Republicans for his loss during a radio talk show appearance.

“This was a big, big win for … quite frankly, the RINO [Republican in Name Only] establishment, who’s proved beyond a shadow of a doubt that they would rather have a Democrat in office than an American-first Republican candidate like me,” Regan said on “Trucker Randy” Bishop’s radio show Wednesday.

Bishop, a longtime GOP activist who filed to run for state Senate as a Democrat, agreed and said there was a “coup” to make sure Regan didn’t win on Tuesday.

Regan faced backlash and lost some GOP establishment support during his campaign after saying that he tells his daughters “if rape is inevitable, lie back and enjoy it.” He also called the war in Ukraine “a fake war just like the fake pandemic,” and shared a meme claiming that feminism is a “Jewish program to degrade and subjugate white men.”

Democrat Carol Glanville defeated Regan on Tuesday. She said the Republican’s “extreme, violent and antisemetic views” have no place in the House district that includes suburbs around Grand Rapids like Grandville, Rockford and Walker.

The House seat had been left vacant after former state Rep. Mark Huizenga (R-Walker) won a special Senate election in 2021. Glanville’s win in the heavily red district marks the first state legislative flip of 2022 nationwide.

While speaking on Bishop’s show Wednesday, Regan said “establishment” Republicans are “trying to destroy” him.

In contrast, Regan said he and others like him are “street fighters” who “don’t mind getting dirty.”

“We need men and women that are willing to get dirty, get down in there and really go after these people. Because that’s what it’s gonna take,” Regan said. “Kind of how [former President] Donald Trump was, you’ve got to be willing to take and throw punches and go after these people.

“… You have to be willing to fight these people because they are downright evil, and they do not have our best interests at heart and they want to destroy our republic,” he added.

Regan also spoke at length about the long-debunked conspiracy theory that President Joe Biden did not rightfully win the 2020 presidential election.

“There is no way that Joe Biden won Michigan,” Regan falsely claimed.

Biden won Michigan by more than 154,000 votes.

Regan then claimed that he is in contact with active and retired “constitutional sheriffs around the state,” like Barry County’s Dar Leaf, who are planning to hold state officials accountable for widespread election fraud (which does not exist).

So-called constitutional sheriffs are anti-government, militia-friendly sheriffs that have openly declared their refusal to uphold state orders like guns at polls, COVID-19 orders and more.

“We’re working with the sheriffs and we’re working from the legal aspect to hold their feet to the fire because clearly, our RINO elected legislators, they’re not doing anything,” he said.

Regan said he plans to connect with far-right commentator Dinesh D’Souza and “his investigators” to dig up evidence for the sheriffs.

He also said his supporters are planning to “take over” the Kent County Republican Party via precinct delegate elections on Aug. 2.

In response to Regan’s radio appearance, Michigan GOP spokesperson Gustavo Portela tweeted Wednesday that Regan was “possibly the worst candidate I’ve ever seen.”

“There’s no room in our party for someone like him, advocating for violence against women,” Portela said, adding that Republicans will “win this seat back.”