Virginia Republican Rep. Jen Kiggans is under fire after she agreed with a radio host who told House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries to keep his “cotton-picking hands off of Virginia” during a Monday interview.
As theGrio has reported, Jeffries has faced an escalating pattern of racially charged attacks in recent months, including from President Trump himself, and Virginia’s redistricting battle has increasingly become a flashpoint for broader fights over Black political representation. NBC News reported that the controversy erupted after she responded to host Rich Herrera’s phrase with “That’s right. Ditto. Yes, yes to that.”
This is precisely what's wrong with Democrats. Every lie and distortion is intended to distract from getting their hats handed to them and the Virginia Supreme Court's clear message: stop trying to rig our elections.
— Jen Kiggans (@JenKiggans) May 11, 2026
The radio host should not have used that language and I do not…
Kiggans later posted on X that she was agreeing with Herrera’s broader point that Jeffries should stay out of Virginia politics, not with the specific language. The defense did little to quiet the backlash. “The radio host should not have used that language and I do not — and did not — condone it. It was obvious to anyone listening that I was agreeing Hakeem Jefferies should stay out of Virginia,” she said.
Democrats were not satisfied. Rep. Katherine Clark, the No. 2 House Democrat, called on Kiggans to resign. Christie Stephenson, the top spokesperson for Jeffries, said in a statement that Kiggans displayed a “stunning failure of judgment and leadership” for a “so-called moderate” lawmaker. “Extremists who endorse disgusting, vile and racist language are pathetic. Jen Kiggans has no interest in our nation’s progress toward a multi-racial democracy and apparently craves a return to the days of Jim Crow racial oppression in the South,” Stephenson said.
The controversy comes at a difficult moment for Kiggans politically. She is one of Democrats’ top targets in the November midterm elections, and is expected to face a rematch against former Rep. Elaine Luria, the retired Navy commander she defeated in 2022. Luria condemned the comments directly. “I grew up in the South. I know what these racist dog whistles mean,” she said on X, calling on Kiggans to publicly apologize and denounce the remarks.
