A N.J. state legislator is making no apologies after posting to Facebook a photo of him and his wife standing by a Confederate flag.

Facebook post of Assemblyman Parker Space and his wife.

Assemblyman Parker Space, R-24th District, and his wife, Jill Space, were awaiting a Hank Williams Jr. concert on Saturday when they were photographed in front of a Confederate flag with Williams' face superimposed over the middle.

The flag, known as the "Hank Williams Jr. Rebel Flag," features an inscription: "If the South would've won, we would've had it made." Only the second part of the inscription is visible in the photo.

"Tailgating waiting for Hank. Hope no one is offended! LOL," read the Space post, which had been 'liked' by 45 of his Facebook friends as of Sunday afternoon.

Parker and Jill Space are Sussex County's two representatives on the New Jersey Republican State Committee.

On Monday afternoon, the two Democratic Assembly candidates opposing Space and his running mate, former state Labor Commissioner Harold Wirths, in November denounced Space and said he was showing his "true colors."

Democrats Kate Matteson and Gina Trish said on their shared Facebook page that "this behavior is unfitting of a sitting State Assemblyman and is indeed offensive and disrespectful to the thousands of constituents he represents."

Space, 48, of Wantage, did not respond to a phone call on Sunday evening, but following the remarks from the Democrats he issued a six-sentence statement taking issue with his critics.

"Are you really trying to go there? It was a Lynyrd Skynyrd and Hank Williams Jr. concert and I was there with about 20,000 others," Space said, referring to the concert he attended in Bethel, New York.

"Are you saying that those bands are racist? I am sure the African-American members of Hank's touring band wouldn't think so. Thank goodness it wasn't an Ozzie Osbourne or KISS performance, then you would accuse me a being a Nazi or a satanist," Space said.

He concluded, "When is this stuff going to end?"

It is the second time in three years that Space's perspective on the Confederate flag has drawn notice.

When the Assembly, in January 2015, voted 73-0 to condemn Confederate flag displays, Space was the only lawmaker to abstain.

Several groundhogs featured at Groundhog Day events at his family-run business, Space Farms Zoo and Museum, were named after Stonewall Jackson, the Confederate War general.

Matteson and Trish, in objecting to the Facebook post, said Space "should be held accountable for his actions," adding, "The only flag we pledge our allegiance to is the American flag, representing union and equality.

Space is known for speaking his mind on a wide range of topics.

In May, a Colorado congressman offered a public rebuttal after Space related a description of Boulder as "disgusting" and laden with zombies to justify his opposition to marijuana legalization.

Also that month, Space said he meant it as a joke when he called, during a candidates' debate, for executing drug dealers "high at noon" on the Newton town square.

Republicans have a significant voter edge in Space's district, which includes all of Sussex County, Mount Olive in Morris County and 11 municipalities in Warren County.

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