The daughter of a candidate who ran for a seat in the Michigan State House of Representatives has caught viral attention online after visiting Twitter earlier this week to plead with voters not to choose their father for the job. .
In the viral tweet, which has accumulated more than 159,000 likes in the past two days, Stephanie Regan, the daughter of Republican House candidate Robert Regan, writes: “If you’re in Michigan and you’re over 18 for love God, don’t vote for my dad for the state representative. Tell everyone. “
In a couple of tweets the next day, Stephanie wrote that her father was Robert Regan and asked voters to research her campaign, writing, “I don’t feel safe sharing more information about her beliefs, but please look it up and just read on. yourself “.
Stephanie Regan confirmed her identity on the Daily Dot website. The Hill has reached out to her for comment.
If you’re in Michigan and over the age of 18 out of love for God, don’t vote for my father as the state representative. Tell everyone
– STEPH (@streeganz) June 23, 2020
Regan addressed her daughter’s tweets in a lengthy statement posted on Facebook Thursday afternoon, saying in part: “I’m happy that she feels secure enough about our relationship to express her opposing thoughts so publicly,” while encourages her and others to express their own opinions. .
The candidate told The Hill on Thursday when he was contacted to comment that he was not completely surprised by his daughter’s words due to her disagreements on issues like systemic racism, the existence of white privilege and Black Lives Matter.
“A lot of students when they go to these liberal college campuses, like the University of Colorado, the University of Texas and Austin, and she went to the University of Colorado at Boulder, and you know, they just get sucked into this communist Marxist ideology and she And I just don’t agree when it comes to all of socialism, communism, Marxist philosophy, “he said.
When asked what he thinks might have led his daughter to ask people not to vote for him, Regan said, “His big deal has to do with the systemic racism that is going on in the country.”
“She believes in that a lot,” he continued, adding: “The only place where I really see systemic racism would be the abortion clinic because they seem to target the African American community.”
“I don’t buy this systemic racism at all,” he said later.
“I am not saying that there are no obstacles to overcome. We all have obstacles to overcome. You know, like a rich white Christian man in quotes, people look at me in a certain way. And it is not always good. Therefore, everyone has obstacles to overcome, “he also said, adding that he thinks President Trump
Donald John Trump: Trump rally triggers quarantine of dozens of Republican Secret Service agents: Trump needs new plan Trump faces ObamaCare court deadline as political terrain changes MORE “He has done more for the black community than any other president we have had in the past 20 years.”
The state’s House of Representatives candidate added in discussing the political differences between himself and his daughter that on a scale of 1-10, “I am like the right, a 10, and she is like a zero.”
He also said that, unlike his daughter, he does not believe that white privilege exists, and said he believes that his different views on the matter could also have prompted his tweet.
Regan said her daughter recently sent her an article on the subject, but he said “there is no scientific data behind it.”
“It’s like, really?” he said. A fact known as man-made global warming? No, these things are debatable all day. We need to have a debate. “
Several lawmakers and advocates have pointed to observed racial disparities in areas such as health, incarceration, and the economy recently amid continued protests against racial injustice across the country.
The Pew Research Center said in a report in May that African-Americans “are still much more likely than their Hispanic and white counterparts to be in prison,” even though they found that the rate of incarceration among the racial group has dropped to record levels.
The White House also acknowledged earlier this year that African Americans were dying of COVID-19 at disproportionate rates in the country amid the ongoing pandemic, and Trump promised to do “everything in our power to address this challenge. “
Regan said in the interview Thursday that although he and his daughter have not spoken since their last tweets, he was “happy that she is willing to speak up and express her opinion on things.” She also noted that she has received messages of support from others since the tweets went viral.
Stephanie Regan in her follow-up tweets urged fans to investigate her father’s campaign positions. Among the topics listed on his campaign page, there is a section that advocates making “English the official language in Michigan,” another that calls for the restoration of a “constitutional militia in the state of Michigan,” and others that cover topics. like immigration and abortion restrictions. .
On her Twitter page, Regan also shared tweets that label Black Lives Matter as a “Marxist” group and expressed her support for the “Thin Blue Line,” a reference to the police, as protests against racism and brutality. Police have continued in some parts of the country. after the death of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor and other African Americans involved in the police.
Robert Regan in Thursday’s interview invoked biblical scripture as he compared the situation with his daughter to the “prodigal son,” with the father figure “always standing at the door waiting for his son to return.”
“But I always put a line in the water and send them a card,” Regan said of her four children. She emphasized that she “has no animosity” towards her daughter after her tweets.
Regan is one of three Republicans running to represent District 73 in the Michigan State House. The seat is currently in the hands of State Representative Lynn Afendoulis (R), who is running this year to remove the representative. Justin Amash
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.
