Congresswoman Jasmine Crockett is forcefully condemning racist rhetoric directed at House Democratic leader Hakeem Jeffries after a Republican lawmaker appeared to endorse a slavery-era phrase during a radio interview about congressional redistricting.
In a fiery Instagram response, Crockett denounced the use of the phrase “cotton-picking hands” in reference to Jeffries, calling the language unacceptable and warning that some politicians are attempting to drag America backwards.
“Referring to the highest-ranking Democrat in the House, who is also a Black man, using white supremacist, slavery-era language is NOT acceptable. Full stop,” Crockett wrote.
The controversy erupted after Jen Kiggans appeared Monday, May 11, 2026, on a conservative radio show hosted by Rich Herrera, where the discussion centered on redistricting battles in Virginia ahead of the upcoming midterm elections.
During the segment, Herrera criticized Jeffries’ support for efforts to redraw Virginia’s congressional map and said Jeffries should either move to Virginia or “get your cotton-picking hands off of Virginia.”
“That’s right. Ditto,” Kiggans responded. “Yes. Yes to that.”
The phrase “cotton-picking” carries deep racist connotations rooted in American slavery, where enslaved Black people were forced to labor on cotton plantations throughout the South.
Kiggans later denied endorsing the racially charged language itself, saying she was agreeing only with the broader political argument about Jeffries’ involvement in Virginia redistricting.
“The radio host should not have used that language and I do not, and did not, condone it,” Kiggans said in a statement.
Still, Democrats and civil rights advocates blasted the exchange, arguing the response normalized racist rhetoric aimed at one of the nation’s most powerful Black elected officials.
Crockett’s response quickly gained traction online, especially one line that resonated strongly across social media:
“If folks actually knew their history, they’d remember the Confederates lost — and will keep losing.”
Her comments come amid rising tensions over voting rights, racial representation, and partisan redistricting battles unfolding across multiple states following recent court decisions weakening portions of the Voting Rights Act of 1965.
Critics fear the latest Supreme Court rulings could make it easier for states to redraw congressional districts in ways that dilute Black voting power while making racial discrimination harder to legally challenge.
The Congressional Black Caucus also condemned the remarks, posting video of the exchange online and asking whether Kiggans should resign.
“Did she agree with him? Yes. Is this racist? Yes. Should she resign? Yes to that, too,” the caucus wrote.
Top Democratic leaders, including Katherine Clark and Gavin Newsom, also publicly criticized Kiggans over the incident.
The dispute arrives during an already heated national debate over redistricting and voting access before the 2026 midterm elections, with several Republican-led states pursuing new congressional maps following recent legal victories.
For many observers, however, Crockett’s reaction became the defining moment of the controversy — a blunt rejection of language she says echoes one of America’s darkest eras.
“We are not going [back],” she declared.
