Virginia Republican Jen Kiggans found herself in a firestorm Monday after agreeing with a radio host who used a racially loaded phrase about House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries during a live broadcast.
On "Richmond's Morning News," host Rich Herrera told Kiggans that if Jeffries wanted involvement in Virginia politics, the New York Democrat should move to the state and run for office himself. "If not, get your cotton-picking hands off of Virginia," Herrera said. Kiggans responded immediately: "That's right. Ditto. Yes, yes to that."
The moment went viral after being posted by American Bridge, a liberal opposition research group, sparking swift condemnation from Democratic leadership and her likely 2024 opponent, Elaine Luria.
Kiggans, a former Navy helicopter pilot and Iraq and Kosovo veteran representing Virginia Beach, released a statement later Monday clarifying her position. She said she was responding to Herrera's substantive point that Jeffries should stay out of Virginia politics, not endorsing the language he used to express it.
"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 posted on X.
The distinction did little to ease mounting pressure. Rep. Katherine Clark, the second-ranking House Democrat, called for Kiggans' resignation. Luria, the retired Navy commander whom Kiggans defeated in 2022, called the remarks "disgusting and beneath any elected official" and demanded a public apology and denunciation.
"I grew up in the South. I know what these racist dog whistles mean," Luria said on social media.
Democratic operatives and Jeffries' office connected the incident to what they see as a broader Republican attack on voting rights protections and Black representation. Christie Stephenson, Jeffries' top spokesperson, issued a lengthy statement accusing Kiggans of displaying a "stunning failure of judgment and leadership."
"Extremists who endorse disgusting, vile and racist language are pathetic," Stephenson said. "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."
The timing proved particularly damaging for Kiggans, who is already among Democrats' top pickup targets heading into the midterm elections. The Virginia Beach seat flipped to Republican control in 2022 when Kiggans defeated Luria in a closely watched race that Democrats view as winnable terrain for 2024.
Author Sarah Mitchell: "The statement after the fact won't cut it when you've been caught on tape nodding along to a racial slur. Fair or not, that moment will define this race."
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