Virginia Congresswoman Jen Kiggans faces mounting pressure to resign after audibly agreeing with a radio host who used a slavery-era racial slur to attack House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, but the two-term Republican shows no signs of stepping down and instead blames Democrats for distorting her words.

The Radio Exchange That Sparked Outrage

During a Monday morning appearance on WRVA’s Richmond’s Morning News, Kiggans listened as host Rich Herrera criticized Jeffries for supporting Virginia redistricting efforts. Herrera concluded his commentary by telling the New York Democrat to keep his cotton-picking hands off Virginia. Kiggans immediately responded with approval, saying that’s right, ditto, yes to that. The phrase references chattel slavery and functions as a widely recognized racist dog whistle. A Democratic-aligned super PAC surfaced the clip online, where it spread rapidly. By Monday evening, the radio station had removed the episode from its Apple Podcasts page.

Democrats Demand Accountability

House Democratic Caucus Chairman Pete Aguilar of California called on Kiggans to apologize then get the hell out of the House. Massachusetts Representative Katherine Clark echoed the demand, insisting Kiggans immediately apologize and resign. The controversy centers on Virginia redistricting that could have delivered Democrats approximately four new seats. The state Supreme Court struck down the plan last week, a decision Republicans celebrated as blocking a power grab despite pursuing similar strategies in GOP-controlled states.

Kiggans Refuses To Back Down

Rather than apologize, Kiggans attacked her critics on social media, writing that Democratic lies and distortions aim to distract from their defeat in the Virginia Supreme Court. She claimed the radio host should not have used that language and she did not condone it, while simultaneously arguing her ditto response meant only that Jeffries should stay out of Virginia. Kiggans has represented Virginia’s 2nd Congressional District since 2023. She framed the redistricting effort as Democrats trying to rig elections and accused them of wanting to destroy Virginia’s court system. Jeffries remains Democrats’ likely choice for speaker if they retake the House in future elections.