By of the

Madison - Republican vice presidential candidate Paul Ryan and Gov. Scott Walker have dropped their endorsements of a Wisconsin lawmaker who said that his father had told him "some girls, they rape so easy" as a way to warn him that women could consent to sex but then later claim they hadn't.

In a further blow to state Rep. Roger Rivard's re-election bid, the operation committed to maintaining a Republican majority in the state Assembly on Thursday ended its financial support for Rivard.

Ryan pulled his support for Rivard, of Rice Lake, just hours after the Journal Sentinel reported on his rape comments Wednesday, and by Thursday afternoon Walker, U.S. Sen. Ron Johnson and U.S. Senate candidate Tommy Thompson also condemned Rivard's statements. U.S. Rep. Sean Duffy of Weston said he was donating money he received from Rivard to a sexual abuse shelter.

The series of withdrawn endorsements came as Ryan, a Janesville congressman, prepared for Thursday's debate with Vice President Joe Biden.

It is the second time Ryan has withdrawn his support from a fellow Republican after comments about rape. In August, Ryan, Walker and other Republicans unsuccessfully urged U.S. Rep. Todd Akin of Missouri to drop out of his U.S. Senate race when he said women's bodies can "shut that whole thing down" to prevent pregnancies in instances of "legitimate rape."

The latest flap surfaced Wednesday, when Rivard told the Journal Sentinel that comments he made in December to the Chetek Alert newspaper about his father's advice had been taken out of context.

"What the whole genesis of it was, it was advice to me, telling me, 'If you're going to go down that road, you may have consensual sex that night and then the next morning it may be rape.' So the way he said it was, 'Just remember, Roger, some girls, they rape so easy. It may be rape the next morning,' " Rivard told the Journal Sentinel.

Hours later, he issued a written statement that stressed that "rape is a horrible act of violence" and said that his earlier comments had the "potential to be misunderstood."

Ryan, Walker and Johnson endorsed Rivard but withdrew their backing after the Journal Sentinel published its story on his comments. It was unclear whether the three had endorsed Rivard before or after his comments in December, though those comments were not widely known until Wednesday.

Ryan is simultaneously running for Congress and as Mitt Romney's vice presidential candidate. Kevin Seifert, who is managing Ryan's congressional campaign, issued a statement decrying Rivard's comments.

"State Representative Rivard's comments are outrageous and offensive," his statement said. "Congressman Ryan believes there is no place in our discourse for rhetoric such as this. Congressman Ryan cannot support Mr. Rivard or his indefensible comments."

Walker, who hosted a Sept. 17 fundraiser for Rivard, also issued a statement critical of Rivard's comments

"State Representative Rivard's comments were offensive and disrespectful to victims of rape," Walker's statement said. "The voters of the 75th Assembly District will determine whether he has fully accounted for these indefensible comments."

Walker's statement did not explicitly revoke the endorsement, but Walker spokesman Tom Evenson later clarified that the governor was pulling his endorsement. Johnson also withdrew his endorsement.

"State Representative Rivard's comments are alarming and destructive," said Johnson campaign spokesman Mark Stephens. "Senator Johnson does not support Representative Rivard or his comments."

Perhaps more damaging than the loss of marquee endorsements was the loss of financial support from the Republican Assembly Campaign Committee. That organization is run by state Rep. Robin Vos (R-Rochester).

"I cannot stand behind Roger Rivard," Vos said in a statement. "Rape is a horrible, violent act. His comments are unacceptable and embarrassing. Assembly Republicans have always fought to protect those who can't protect themselves. Any person who has ever been a victim of a violent crime is offended by these comments and has every right to be."

Condemnations from Republicans came even from those who had not endorsed Rivard, such as Thompson and Duffy.

Thompson, who is in a tight race for the Senate with U.S. Rep. Tammy Baldwin, issued a statement that said: "As a husband, a father of two daughters and the grandfather of six beautiful granddaughters, I am offended by state Representative Rivard's indefensible remarks. We must take instances of rape and sexual assault seriously and hold the perpetrators accountable to the utmost degree."

Duffy, who is in a nationally watched race for re-election, announced that he was giving the $500 he had received from Rivard to the Center Against Sexual and Domestic Abuse in Superior.

"No one should ever, under any circumstance, diminish or trivialize rape," said a statement from Duffy, a former Ashland County district attorney. "As a father of four young girls, I condemn Representative Rivard's absurd and inappropriate comments. As a former prosecutor, I witnessed firsthand that rape is a heinous crime and that the victims are deeply and forever affected by this disgusting act."

Scot Ross, executive director of the liberal group One Wisconsin Now, said Ryan and other Republicans should respond to Rivard's comments the way they did to Akin's.

"If Ryan really finds his comments offensive, he should call on Rivard to drop out of the race," he said.

Democrats seized on Rivard's comments to highlight cuts Republicans made to women's health care and changes they made to state law to allow schools to teach abstinence-only education and eliminate the ability of victims of sex and age discrimination in the workplace from suing for punitive damages in state court.

"While Roger Rivard now claims that his comments were 'misunderstood' by the press, his pattern of extreme votes against women is clear," said Stephen Smith, the Democrat running against him on Nov. 6.

Rivard "has demeaned women and shown the extreme philosophies toward women that have taken deep root in the Wisconsin Republican Party," said a statement from Maggie Brickerman, executive director of the state Democratic Party.

Rivard also has received the endorsements of the Tavern League of Wisconsin, the Associated Builders and Contractors of Wisconsin, the Wisconsin Grocers Association, the National Federation of Independent Business-Wisconsin, the Wisconsin Restaurant Association, Wisconsin Right to Life and Pro-Life Wisconsin.

Those groups did not respond to inquiries Thursday.