A Republican Virginia lawmaker is facing calls to resign after she agreed with a wildly racist statement about Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries.<\/p>\n
Representative Jen Kiggans appeared on Richmond-based radio commentator Rich Herrera\u2019s show Monday to discuss the state\u2019s hotly contested congressional maps. But the since-deleted interview flew off the rails when Kiggans emphatically concurred with Herrera after he referred to Jeffries as a slave.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe spent $20 million-plus on our redistricting debacle we had. He now is talking about \u2026 firing our Supreme Court justices,\u201d Herrera said of Jeffries. House Majority Forward, a nonprofit connected to Jeffries, spent roughly $40 million<\/a> on the redistricting effort.<\/p>\n \u201cIf Hakeem Jeffries wants to be involved in Virginia politics, then I suggest he \u2026 leave New York, move down here to Virginia, run for office down here, you can represent us,\u201d Herrera continued. \u201cIf not, get your cotton-picking hands off of Virginia.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThat\u2019s right. Ditto. Yes. Yes, to that,\u201d Kiggans replied<\/a>.<\/p>\n The term \u201ccotton-picking hands\u201d is heavily rooted in the history of U.S. slavery, literally referring<\/a> to the Black men, women, and children who were forced to pick cotton.<\/p>\n Kiggans is up for reelection in November. One of her opponents in the race, former Representative Elaine Luria, wrote<\/a> Monday evening that \u201cthe racist comments proudly endorsed today by Jen Kiggans \u2026 are disgusting and beneath any elected official.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI grew up in the South. I know what these racist dog whistles mean,\u201d Luria added.<\/p>\n The number two House Democrat, Minority Whip Katherine Clark, called on Kiggans to resign<\/a> shortly after clips of the interview were made public.<\/p>\n In a statement<\/a> on X, Kiggans claimed that she did not agree with the host\u2019s remark and that it was \u201cobvious\u201d she was responding to the larger argument about Jeffries\u2019s involvement in the redistricting effort. She argued that the nationwide political rebuke was \u201cprecisely what\u2019s wrong with Democrats.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cEvery lie and distortion is intended to distract from getting their hats handed to them and the Virginia Supreme Court\u2019s clear message: stop trying to rig our elections,\u201d Kiggans wrote. \u201cDemocrats are trying to destroy Virginia\u2019s court because they disagree with it. THAT is the real danger to our country.\u201d<\/p>\n By Tuesday morning, the radio interview had been taken off Apple Podcasts<\/a>, as well as the host\u2019s YouTube channel<\/a>.<\/p>\n