Hakeem Jeffries

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WASHINGTON — A spokesperson for House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.) on Tuesday tore into Rep. Jen Kiggans (R-Va.) for saying she agreed with a conservative radio host who said that Jeffries, who is Black, should take his “cotton-picking hands off of Virginia.”

“Extremists who endorse disgusting, vile and racist language are pathetic,” Jeffries spokesperson Christie 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.”

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Kiggans was a Monday guest on “Richmond’s Morning News” when host Rich Herrera brought up Jeffries, who has been talking publicly about how Democrats can still retake the House in November despite their recent redistricting loss in Virginia. Voters here approved a measure last month allowing Democrats to redraw the state’s congressional map, but last Friday, the state’s Supreme Court struck down the voter-approved plan.

“If Hakeem Jeffries wants to be involved in Virginia politics, then I suggest he does what a bunch of New Yorkers are doing,” Herrera said. “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.”

“That’s right,” Kiggans replied. “Ditto. Yes, yes to that.”

You can listen to their exchange here.

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Kiggans has faced swift condemnation from House Democrats for apparently endorsing the racist comment, including calls for her resignation. Rep. Robin Kelly (D-Ill.), who co-chairs the Maternity Care Caucus with Kiggans, called on her Republican colleague to resign from the caucus and from Congress.

“Rep. Kiggans agreed with a disgusting and vile comment from a far-right wing talk show host ― and then outright lied about it in a nonapologetic statement, even after we all heard her,” Kelly said in a statement.

“I founded this Caucus to improve maternal health outcomes for all women, especially Black women who face higher disparities before, during, and after pregnancy,” she said. “If a Member of Congress cannot call out racist comments, then she certainly cannot be relied upon to improve healthcare for all our communities.”

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Kiggans later said the radio host shouldn’t have used that language about Jeffries and that she did not condone it. But she still took a swing at Democrats for making a fuss over it.

“This is precisely what’s wrong with Democrats,” Kiggans said Monday night on social media. “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.”

Jeffries’ spokesperson called Kiggans’ follow-up response “pathetic.”

“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,” said Stephenson. “Then, Jen Kiggans tripled down and attempted to blame partisanship in a pathetic follow-up statement. 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.”

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Kiggans’ office did not respond to a Tuesday request for comment.