Jeffries’ Spokesperson Said Jen Kiggans Doubled Down On Her Refusal To Disavow The Racist Comments From The Radio Host, And Elaine Luria Called Jen Kiggans’ Remarks “Disgusting And Beneath Any Elected Official”

Jeffries’ Spokesperson: “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… The Voters Of Virginia Will Hold Her Accountable At The Ballot Box In November.” “Ms. Kiggans said on social media Monday evening that she had been agreeing with Mr. Herrera’s sentiment about Mr. Jeffries’s involvement in the Virginia redistricting fight, not with his racist remark about Mr. Jeffries, the highest-ranking Black person in Congress. ‘The radio host should not have used that language and I do not — and did not — condone it,’ she said. ‘It was obvious to anyone listening that I was agreeing Hakeem Jeffries should stay out of Virginia.’ That did not suffice for Mr. Jeffries, whose office joined the Democratic outpouring of anger Tuesday morning. ‘Jen Kiggans had her chance to disavow the vile, racist and dehumanizing comments from far-right talk show host Rich Herrera,’ Christie Stephenson, a spokeswoman for Mr. Jeffries, said. ‘Instead, she doubled down,’ she added, going on to say that ‘the voters of Virginia will hold her accountable at the ballot box in November.’ Efforts to reach Mr. Herrera on Tuesday morning were not immediately successful. Ms. Kiggans, a former Navy helicopter pilot, represents Virginia’s Second Congressional District, which is based in Virginia Beach, in the state’s southeast corner. She has served for two terms and faces a difficult re-election fight against former Representative Elaine Luria, whom Ms. Kiggans defeated to first win the seat in 2022. President Trump carried the district by less than a percentage point in 2024. Ms. Luria called Ms. Kiggans’s remarks ‘disgusting and beneath any elected official.’ She added: ‘I grew up in the South. I know what these racist dog whistles mean.’ The segment in which Mr. Herrera interviewed Ms. Kiggans on Monday has since been removed from the radio show’s page on Apple Podcasts.” [New York Times, 5/12/26]

• Luria Called Ms. Kiggans’s Remarks “Disgusting And Beneath Any Elected Official.” “Ms. Kiggans said on social media Monday evening that she had been agreeing with Mr. Herrera’s sentiment about Mr. Jeffries’s involvement in the Virginia redistricting fight, not with his racist remark about Mr. Jeffries, the highest-ranking Black person in Congress. ‘The radio host should not have used that language and I do not — and did not — condone it,’ she said. ‘It was obvious to anyone listening that I was agreeing Hakeem Jeffries should stay out of Virginia.’ That did not suffice for Mr. Jeffries, whose office joined the Democratic outpouring of anger Tuesday morning. ‘Jen Kiggans had her chance to disavow the vile, racist and dehumanizing comments from far-right talk show host Rich Herrera,’ Christie Stephenson, a spokeswoman for Mr. Jeffries, said. ‘Instead, she doubled down,’ she added, going on to say that ‘the voters of Virginia will hold her accountable at the ballot box in November.’ Efforts to reach Mr. Herrera on Tuesday morning were not immediately successful. Ms. Kiggans, a former Navy helicopter pilot, represents Virginia’s Second Congressional District, which is based in Virginia Beach, in the state’s southeast corner. She has served for two terms and faces a difficult re-election fight against former Representative Elaine Luria, whom Ms. Kiggans defeated to first win the seat in 2022. President Trump carried the district by less than a percentage point in 2024. Ms. Luria called Ms. Kiggans’s remarks ‘disgusting and beneath any elected official.’ She added: ‘I grew up in the South. I know what these racist dog whistles mean.’ The segment in which Mr. Herrera interviewed Ms. Kiggans on Monday has since been removed from the radio show’s page on Apple Podcasts.” [New York Times, 5/12/26]