See below for a press release from former Rep. Elaine Luria (D-VA02)’s campaign, demanding a public apology after Rep. Jen Kiggans (R-VA02) heartily agreed with the racist, noxious comments about House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries, “Get your cotton-picking hands off of Virginia!” (audio, below) Note that VA02 is one of the marquee US House races in the entire country, with former Rep. Luria – a national hero in many ways, including her service on the January 6 select committee and her long service to our country in the U.S. Navy – attempting to win back the seat she held for two terms starting in 2019, and with the district having gone for Abigail Spanberger last November, and basically being a tie in the 2024 presidential election. Something tells me these comments are going to come back to haunt Kiggans during this coming fall’s campaign. (UPDATE: also see below for some reactions, including Kiggans’ laughably pathetic response…)
Rep. Luria Calls on Jen Kiggans to Publicly Apologize for Racist Remarks Targeting House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries
In interview, Kiggans agrees with racist “get your cotton-picking hands off of Virginia” comment;
1 in 4 Constituents in VA-02 are Black
VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. – Former small business owner, 20-year U.S. Navy veteran, and two-term member of Congress Rep. Elaine Luria released the following statement calling on Jen Kiggans to publicly apologize after she agreed with racist comments made about House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries:
“The racist comments proudly endorsed today by Jen Kiggans warning House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries to ‘Get your cotton-picking hands off of Virginia’ are disgusting and beneath any elected official. I grew up in the South. I know what these racist dog whistles mean,” Rep. Luria said. “These comments come at a time when the Supreme Court and Republican controlled state legislatures are disenfranchising Black voters and wiping out Black representation across southern states, which Jen Kiggans applauds. She should immediately and publicly apologize and denounce these racist remarks that have no place in our Commonwealth or our politics.”
UPDATE 5/12: Kiggans lies yet again, claims she didn’t “condone” the racist language used by the right-wing radio host against Hakeem Jeffries – which she obviously did. She also misspells Jeffries (as “Jefferies”), because of course she did.
P.S. From the same far-right radio station (WRVA) that used to employ John Reid, and which employs the guy who just told Hakeem Jeffries, “Get your cotton-picking hands off of Virginia!”…another far-right radio host (Jeff Katz) goes on a tirade against Abigail Spanberger (who he calls “bat-crap crazy”), Louise Lucas and Jay Jones (see below).
“L. Louise Lucas, who I know a lot of people have their fingers crossed, L. Louise will soon have some sort of a number attached to her name. I mean, it could happen. I don’t know. I don’t think anybody would be all that upset. In fact, I can tell you I don’t know a single Republican who would be upset. And you know what’s weird? I don’t know a single Democrat who would be upset. Democrats hate her more than Republicans do. Just because she’s such a nasty, creepy woman. Like a total thug mindset is how a number of people have described her to me. And I haven’t been that up close and personal, so I can’t tell you that. I’d watched from afar and I get what they’re saying. But the bottom line is since they weren’t able to steal this, and they have what amounts to be the least competent lawyer in America who is now the attorney general of Virginia. Well, I’m just going to start reading things in the way that Jay Jones and his staff have spelled them. So, you’ll remember he was identified by his own office as the ATTONEY general, missing the R, the attorney general of Virgina – because there’s they misspelled Virginia. So, it just seems to me even if you had a slip and fall somewhere in a supermarket and you were looking for your your basic run-of-the-mill shyster attorney, right? Just somebody who’s going to th make enough threats to get you a little settlement so you can go away, right? Somebody who would well would look at someone like, I don’t know, Saul Goodman, and say, ‘wow, I just think that guy’s too honest for me. I I I can’t bring the same level of integrity that that Saul Goodman brings to the matter. So, yeah, I got to go a rung down.” Even a lawyer like that would look at Jay Jones and go, ‘Yeah, you know what? You’re just not up to snuff for our our our firm.’ Jay Jones is apparently the singularly worst lawyer in America. And that’s saying something.”
