UPDATE: Democrats call on Space to resign, quit re-election bid

The Republican state lawmaker under fire after posing with the Confederate flag is again facing criticism after allegedly using vulgar language to refer to his opponent, according to a report in Politico New Jersey.

Assemblyman Parker Space was reportedly speaking with a Democratic candidate for state Senate in his district and several others on Aug. 31 when he unloaded on Kate Matteson, who was not present.

Matteson and Gina Trish are the Democratic candidates against Space, R-24th District, and former Labor Commissioner Hal Wirths.

"Kate's a bitch," Space said in the 33-second recording provided to Politico New Jersey.

"I don't know about Gina, I've never talked to her. And you can put that on the record. She is (an) elitist 1 percenter, an elitist who's a bitch. Gina, I've never met. I can't say anything bad about her. But Kate, I can. Because I know she's a bitch," Space said.

Contacted by the website, a spokesman for Space neither confirmed nor denied that it was his voice.

Matteson, though, told the website it was Space after being played a recording. According to Politico, James Santonastaso, a Sussex County Democratic committee member, said he made the recording but that he did not make it public.

The remarks were reportedly made following a vigil in Newton for drug overdose awareness, five days after Space posted to Facebook a photograph of him and his wife, Jill, while tailgating before a Hank Williams Jr. concert in Bethel, N.Y.

The photo showed them standing in front of a Confederate flag, with Williams' face superimposed over the middle. The flag features an inscription: "If the South would've won, we would've had it made."

On his Facebook post, Space wrote, "Tailgating waiting for Hank. Hope no one is offended! LOL."

Space, who sports a Confederate flag tattoo, later said he was sorry only that people didn't get his humor.

Space also is the lone lawmaker to abstain when the Assembly voted 73-0 to condemn Confederate flag displays.

Space, 48, lives in Wantage and his Republican-dominated district includes all of Sussex County.

Rob Jennings may be reached at rjennings@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @RobJenningsNJ. Find NJ.com on Facebook