A racist remark about Hakeem Jeffries sets off Democratic anger in Virginia

A vulnerable Republican member of Congress in Virginia set off an uproar from Democrats after she agreed with remarks by a local radio host who said Rep. Hakeem Jeffries of New York, the House minority leader and a Black man, should keep his “cotton-picking hands off of Virginia.”

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The dustup surrounding Rep. Jen Kiggans, who is facing one of the country’s toughest reelection battles, is the latest chapter in Virginia’s redistricting saga. Kiggans was speaking with Rich Herrera, the host of a conservative morning talk show in Richmond, to discuss the fallout from the state Supreme Court’s ruling that invalidated a new congressional map Virginia voters had approved in an April referendum.

During their conversation, Herrera lamented a discussion that Jeffries and Democratic members of the Virginia congressional delegation had Saturday in which lawmakers discussed the idea of having the entire Virginia Supreme Court replaced in a long-shot effort to restore the voter-approved map.

“If Hakeem Jeffries wants to be involved in Virginia politics, then I suggest he does what a bunch of New Yorkers are doing — leave New York, move down here to Virginia, and run for office down here,” Herrera said. “If not, get your cotton-picking hands off of Virginia.”

Kiggans replied: “That’s right. I, ditto. Yes, yes to that.”

After a Democratic opposition research group, American Bridge, circulated a clip on social media of Kiggans’ response to Herrera’s remarks, Democrats denounced Kiggans, with some calling for her to step down from office.

Kiggans said on social media Monday evening that she had been agreeing with Herrera’s sentiment about Jeffries’ involvement in the Virginia redistricting fight, not with his racist remark about Jeffries, the highest-ranking Black person in Congress.

“The radio host should not have used that language and I do not — and did not — condone it,” she said. “It was obvious to anyone listening that I was agreeing Hakeem Jeffries should stay out of Virginia.”

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That did not suffice for Jeffries, whose office joined the Democratic outpouring of anger Tuesday morning.

“Jen Kiggans had her chance to disavow the vile, racist and dehumanizing comments from far-right talk show host Rich Herrera,” Christie Stephenson, a spokesperson for Jeffries, said. “Instead, she doubled down,” she added, going on to say that “the voters of Virginia will hold her accountable at the ballot box in November.”

Efforts to reach Herrera on Tuesday morning were not immediately successful.

Republicans brushed aside the Democratic anger about Kiggans’ radio appearance.

“Democrats’ performative outrage over this total nothingburger is completely selective and driven by politics, not principle,” said Will Kiley, a spokesperson for House Republicans’ campaign arm.

Kiggans, a former Navy helicopter pilot, represents Virginia’s 2nd Congressional District, which is based in Virginia Beach, in the state’s southeast corner. She has served for two terms and faces a difficult reelection fight against former Rep. Elaine Luria, whom Kiggans defeated to first win the seat in 2022. President Donald Trump carried the district by less than a percentage point in 2024.

Luria called Kiggans’ remarks “disgusting and beneath any elected official.” She added: “I grew up in the South. I know what these racist dog whistles mean.”

The segment in which Herrera interviewed Kiggans on Monday has since been removed from the radio show’s page on Apple Podcasts.

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This article originally appeared in The New York Times.