Mike Johnson And The NRCC Defended Jen Kiggans, Claiming She Misspoke And Calling The Situation A “Nothing-Burger”

Mike Johnson On Jen Kiggans: “Sometimes People Misspeak. ... I’ll Talk To Her About It, But You Should Not Be Evaluating The Character Of Jen Kiggans Based On Some Comment That Supposedly She Said.” “Why it matters: The firestorm comes as Kiggans, who has denied any wrongdoing, is running for reelection in one of the most hotly contested battleground districts in the country. More than a dozen House Democrats — including Jeffries' top two lieutenants — had called for Kiggans to resign as of this afternoon, with others vowing to unseat her in November either way. Kiggans said in a post on X: ‘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 Jefferies [sic] should stay out of Virginia.’ ‼️ House Speaker Mike Johnson told reporters: ‘Sometimes people misspeak. ... I'll talk to her about it, but you should not be evaluating the character of Jen Kiggans based on some comment that supposedly she said.’ The controversy centers on an interview Kiggans gave to Richmond-based radio host Brandon Herrera on Democrats' thwarted effort to redistrict Virginia's congressional map in their favor. Said Herrera: ‘If Hakeem Jeffries wants to be involved in Virginia politics, then I suggest he ... 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. Ditto. Yes. Yes, to that,’ Kiggans replied.” [Axios, 5/12/26]

• NRCC Spokesperson Will Kiley Called The Situation “A Nothing-Burger.” “The other side: Kiggans said in her post on X, ‘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.’ Said NRCC spokesperson Will Kiley: ‘Democrats' performative outrage over this total nothing-burger is completely selective and driven by politics, not principle.’” [Axios, 5/12/26]