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The Guardian - US
The Guardian - US
World
Chris Stein and agencies

Republican Jen Kiggans faces calls to resign for agreeing with racist ‘cotton-picking’ remark

a woman speaks into a microphone
Jen Kiggans speaks to the press following a morning Republican conference meeting on Capitol Hill on 18 September 2024. Photograph: Anna Rose Layden/Reuters

Jen Kiggans, a Republican congresswoman, is facing calls from Democrats to resign for agreeing with a radio host after he said the top US House Democrat, Hakeem Jeffries, should get his “cotton-picking hands off of Virginia”.

Kiggans, who represents a swing district in southeastern Virginia, has said she was agreeing with the host that Jeffries – who is the first Black American to lead a party in Congress – should stay out of the state’s politics. She also said she did not condone the host’s language, which multiple Democrats criticized as racist.

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