The office of House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.) criticized Rep. Jen Kiggans (R-Va.) on Tuesday after the Virginia Republican agreed with a conservative radio host who urged Jeffries to keep his "cotton-picking hands off of Virginia."
Christie Stephenson, a spokesperson for Jeffries, the first Black lawmaker to lead either party in Congress, stated that the incident is part of a broader trend among Republicans to reverse progress in civil rights.
"Extremists who endorse disgusting, vile, and racist language are pathetic," Stephenson said in a statement. "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. That's why MAGA Republicans in legislatures and courts across America have launched a full-scale assault on Black representation."
Kiggans, a second-term lawmaker representing southeastern Virginia, sparked controversy on Monday when she participated in an interview with Rich Herrera, a conservative news host, on WRVA radio in Richmond to discuss Virginia's recent redistricting.
Jeffries had supported the effort by Virginia Democrats to redraw the House map in an attempt to counter the partisan gerrymandering campaign initiated by President Trump in red states. Herrera, during the interview, condemned Jeffries' involvement, urging him to "get your cotton-picking hands off of Virginia."
Kiggans quickly agreed. "That's right. Ditto," she said. "Yes — yes to that."
The remarks were quickly denounced by several top Democrats, including Rep. Katherine Clark (Mass.), the House Democratic whip, who urged Kiggans to "apologize and resign."
"First they gutted the Voting Rights Act. Now they are using brazenly racist language to attack Black leaders," Clark posted on X.
The Merriam-Webster dictionary defines "cotton-picking" as an adjective "used as an intensive or as a generalized expression of disapproval," but notes that the phrase is "widely considered offensive."
"[T]he adjective cotton-picking is seen as belittling labor that millions of Black people were forced to do in the southern United States from the late 18th century and into the 20th century, first as enslaved people and later as sharecroppers," the dictionary says.
Kiggans has dismissed the criticism, saying she was not endorsing Herrera's specific language, but was merely agreeing with the host's assessment that Jeffries should not interfere in Virginia politics.
"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," Kiggans wrote on her X account.
"The radio host should not have used that language and I do not — and did not — condone it," she added. "It was obvious to anyone listening that I was agreeing that Hakeem Jeffries should stay out of Virginia."
The response did not appease Jeffries's office, which accused Kiggans of avoiding a strong condemnation of Herrera's racially charged remarks.
"Jen Kiggans had her chance to disavow the vile, racist, and dehumanizing comments from far-right talk show host Rich Herrera. Instead, she doubled down. Then, Jen Kiggans tripled down and attempted to blame partisanship in a pathetic follow-up statement," Stephenson said. "It was a stunning failure of judgment and leadership for a so-called moderate Member of Congress representing a large, vibrant African American community in Virginia."
Last week, the Virginia Supreme Court nullified the Democrats' new map, which would have shifted four Republican-held seats, including the one held by Kiggans, in favor of Democrats. The decision maintains the current map, which is split 6 to 5 in favor of Democrats in the current Congress.
The ruling provides a boost to Kiggans, who is being challenged by former Rep. Elaine Luria (D-Va.), but the race remains competitive. The Cook Political Report, a non-partisan election handicapper, rates the race as a "toss-up."
Copyright 2026 Nexstar Media Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.