Rep. Jen Kiggans, R-Va., is facing backlash and calls for her resignation after responding “ditto” to a radio host who said House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., should keep his “cotton-picking hands off” Virginia during a discussion about the state’s congressional redistricting battle.

During an interview Monday on “Richmond’s Morning News,” conservative radio host Rich Herrera criticized national Democrats’ involvement in Virginia’s redistricting fight. Herrera used a racial slur while attacking Jeffries’ support for a new congressional map that could favor Democrats in the 2026 midterms. 

“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. Run for office down here, you can represent us. If not, get your cotton-picking hands off of Virginia,” Herrera told Kiggans.

Kiggans responded by saying “that’s right,” and did not challenge Herrera’s language.

“That’s right. Ditto, yes, yes to that,” the congresswoman replied.

As of Monday evening, the interview appears to have been removed from the Apple podcast page of “Richmond’s Morning News.”

Kiggans currently represents Virginia’s 2nd Congressional District, a competitive coastal district centered around Virginia Beach and the Hampton Roads region, which Democrats hope to flip. According to the Cook Political Report, the district is 27.14% Black or African American.

Democrats and civil rights advocates called out Kiggans over the exchange.

The Congressional Black Caucus PAC condemned Herrera’s remark as a “vile racist slur.”

“Jen Kiggans heard a vile racist slur and agreed out loud — that’s who she is,” a spokesperson for the CBC PAC said in a statement. “We’re going to make sure her constituents know she condones this racist crap.”

Former Rep. Elaine Luria, D-Va., who is running to unseat Kiggans this fall, called the radio host’s choice of language “disgusting” and “beneath any elected official.”

“These comments come at a time when the Supreme Court and Republican controlled state legislatures are disenfranchising Black voters and wiping out Black representation across southern states, which Jen Kiggans applauds,” Luria said in a statement.

Several House members have also called for Kiggans to resign, including Reps. Katherine Clark, D-Mass., and Grace Meng, D-N.Y.

Kiggans defended herself against criticism over the interview, saying she did not condone Herrera’s language and was only agreeing that Jeffries should stay out of Virginia’s redistricting fight.

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Ebony Davis

Ebony Davis is a breaking news reporter for MS NOW based in Washington, D.C. She previously worked at CNN as a campaign reporter covering elections and politics.