'Disgusting and unproductive': Maine GOP candidate compares NOAA lobster regulations to child rape

A Republican candidate for the first Congressional District in Maine is turning heads with his recent attempt to compare federal regulations to child rape.

On Wednesday, October 12, Ed Thelander attended a rally for the lobster industry and used the moment to take aim at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA).

Speaking to the crowd of rallygoers, Thelander said, “NOAA wants to rape you and your family, and they’re saying 'pick a child.' You don’t negotiate with a rapist, and that’s what’s happening.”

READ MORE: 'This is how Republicans are planning to steal elections': GOP officials refuse to certify primaries

Shortly after Thelander made the controversial remarks, a clip of the rally began circulating on social media.

Twitter users quickly began weighing in with their reactions. “This is completely a bipartisan issue. This is a Maine peoples issue. To talk like this is not only unnecessary, it's divisive,” one Twitter user tweeted. “Maine people do not need talk like this on an issue that we are all on the same side about, but this does speak to what repubs think we want to hear.”

The Maine Democratic Party also offered a critical assessment of Thelander’s rape comparison describing it as “disgusting and unproductive.”

“There are serious issues with NOAA that are hurting the lobster industry,” the political party tweeted. “But this comparison from GOP candidate Ed Thelander is disgusting and unproductive. Comments like these show he’s unfit for office.”

READ MORE: Republican state attorneys general argue against saving a pregnant person’s life

Amid backlash for his remarks, Thelander apologized for the comments during a candidate debate. “My comments were over the top and I apologize for that,” the Congressional hopeful said. Per HuffPost, he added, "he’s 'very passionate' about the issue and has a close relationship with families in the lobster industry."

Watch the video below or at this link.

READ MORE: GOP megadonors 'don’t have confidence' in these Trump-backed Senate candidates: report