Embattled Republican faces brutal calls to quit after backing radio host's 'cotton-picking' crack at Democratic leader

By VICTORIA CHURCHILL, US POLITICAL REPORTER Published: 19:11, 12 May 2026 | Updated: 19:20, 12 May 2026 A Republican lawmaker in a highly contentious re-election fight is facing calls to resign from her Democrat colleagues after she seemingly agreed with a racist comment made by a radio host. Jen Kiggans, a Republican representing Virginia's Second Congressional District, was interviewed Monday by Richmond-area radio host Rich Herrera about the upcoming midterm elections and the ongoing legal fight over Democrats' efforts to eliminate three Republican congressional seats in Virginia. Herrera said during that interview that if House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries wanted to be involved in Virginia politics, then he should move from New York and run for office in the commonwealth. 'If not, get your cotton-picking hands off of Virginia,' Herrera said of Jeffries. 'That's right,' Kiggans replied. 'Ditto. Yes, yes to that.' The clip has since gone viral on social media, prompting a response from Kiggans, as well as calls for her resignation from at least one top Democrat. '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 noted in a statement posted to X on Monday.  '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 Jeffries should stay out of Virginia,' she added. Virginia Republican Jen Kiggans speaks at a House GOP news conference, March 5, 2026, in Washington, DC House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, a New York Democrat speaks at a press conference with other members of the Congressional Black Caucus on April 29, 2026 Kiggans also stated that, 'Democrats are trying to destroy Virginia's court because they disagree with it. THAT is the real danger to our country.' Katherine Clark, the House Minority Whip, shared the clip of Kiggans' interview while also calling for her to resign. 'First they gutted the Voting Rights Act. Now they are using brazenly racist language to attack Black leaders. @JenKiggans should immediately apologize and resign,'  Kiggans is set to face off in the general election against former Democrat Representative Elaine Luria if they both win their respective primary races. Kiggans ousted Luria in 2022 and was reelected to a second term in 2024. Luria chimed in on Kiggans' radio interview, noting that 'the racist comments proudly endorsed today by Jen Kiggans, warning House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries to 'Get your cotton-picking hands off of Virginia,' are disgusting and beneath any elected official. I grew up in the South. I know what these racist dog whistles mean.' Luria also responded to Kiggans statement, claiming that 'instead of apologizing, Jen Kiggans doubled down on these despicable comments that she proudly endorsed. Virginia deserves better.' Kerry Doherty, a radio host in Norfolk, Virginia, claimed that Luria has no solid ground to stand on, as she supported a man for attorney general who threatened to kill a political opponent and his children, referencing last year's controversy involving Jay Jones, the current Democrat attpurner general of Virginia. Jones was revealed to have sent text messages gloating about putting 'two bullets' through the head of former Virginia House Speaker Todd Gilbert, a Republican. In the same exchange, Jones suggested Gilbert was 'breeding little fascists' — a disturbing reference to the Speaker's two young children. 'If that wasn't disqualifying, this certainly isn't,' Doherty added on X. Virginia's primary election will take place on August 4th, ahead of November's midterms. Kiggans' seat is currently ranked in the 'toss-up' category by the Cook Political Report, alongside 13 of her GOP colleagues. No comments have so far been submitted. Why not be the first to send us your thoughts, or debate this issue live on our message boards. By posting your comment you agree to our house rules. Do you want to automatically post your MailOnline comments to your Facebook Timeline? Your comment will be posted to MailOnline as usual. Do you want to automatically post your MailOnline comments to your Facebook Timeline? Your comment will be posted to MailOnline as usual We will automatically post your comment and a link to the news story to your Facebook timeline at the same time it is posted on MailOnline. To do this we will link your MailOnline account with your Facebook account. We’ll ask you to confirm this for your first post to Facebook. You can choose on each post whether you would like it to be posted to Facebook. Your details from Facebook will be used to provide you with tailored content, marketing and ads in line with our Privacy Policy.