Virginia Governor Ralph Northam appeared to have almost no choice but to resign after losing support from virtually the entire state Democratic Party and other key allies who urged the governor to leave office because of a racist photograph in which he appeared more than 30 years ago.
The Virginia Legislative Black Caucus, the state House of Representatives Democratic Caucus and the state Senate Democratic Caucus late on Friday all called on Northam to resign, along with several key progressive groups that have been some of the governor’s closest political allies.
Their calls for Northam to step down came in a wave after the Democrat had apologized for appearing in the photograph in which one person is dressed in blackface and another is wearing a full Ku Klux Klan uniform.
Photo: AP via Eastern Virginia Medical School
The photograph appeared in his 1984 medical school yearbook.
The yearbook images were first published on Friday afternoon by the conservative news outlet Big League Politics. The Virginian-Pilot later obtained a copy from Eastern Virginia Medical School, which Northam attended.
The photograph shows two people looking at the camera — one in blackface wearing a hat, bow tie and plaid pants; the other in a full Ku Klux Klan robe.
In his first apology, issued in a written statement, Northam called the costume he wore “clearly racist and offensive,” but he did not say which one he had worn.
He later issued a video statement saying he was “deeply sorry,” but still committed to serving the “remainder of my term.”
“I accept responsibility for my past actions and I am ready to do the hard work of regaining your trust,” Northam said.
However, Northam appears to have virtually no path forward to remain in office without any institutional support. His departure would mean Virginia Lieutenant Governor Justin Fairfax, a Democrat who is only the second African-American to win statewide office in Virginia, would be the next governor.
Northam’s term is set to end in 2022.
Black lawmakers said in a statement they met with Northam on Friday evening and that they appreciate his service.
“But given what was revealed today, it is clear that he can no longer effectively serve as governor,” the Virginia Legislative Black Caucus said. “It is time for him to resign, so that Virginia can begin the process of healing.”
State Senator Louise Lucas of Portsmouth, a close ally of Northam and long-time African-American lawmaker, described a hastily called conference call with black leaders around the state as “intense,” her voice breaking, but did not elaborate.
Several Democratic presidential hopefuls and potential presidential candidates, including former Virginia governor Terry McAuliffe, also called on Northam to resign.
Northam spent years courting the black community in the lead up to his 2017 gubernatorial run, building relationships that helped him win both the primary and the general election.
He is a member of a predominantly black church on Virginia’s Eastern Shore, where he grew up.
“It’s a matter of relationships and trust. That’s not something that you build overnight,” Northam told the Associated Press during a 2017 campaign stop while describing his relationship with the black community.
A colossal explosion in the sky, unleashing energy hundreds of times greater than the Hiroshima bomb. A blinding flash nearly as bright as the sun. Shockwaves powerful enough to flatten everything for miles. It might sound apocalyptic, but a newly detected asteroid nearly the size of a football field now has a greater than 1 percent chance of colliding with Earth in about eight years. Such an impact has the potential for city-level devastation, depending on where it strikes. Scientists are not panicking yet, but they are watching closely. “At this point, it’s: ‘Let’s pay a lot of attention, let’s
UNDAUNTED: Panama would not renew an agreement to participate in Beijing’s Belt and Road project, its president said, proposing technical-level talks with the US US Secretary of State Marco Rubio on Sunday threatened action against Panama without immediate changes to reduce Chinese influence on the canal, but the country’s leader insisted he was not afraid of a US invasion and offered talks. On his first trip overseas as the top US diplomat, Rubio took a guided tour of the canal, accompanied by its Panamanian administrator as a South Korean-affiliated oil tanker and Marshall Islands-flagged cargo ship passed through the vital link between the Atlantic and Pacific oceans. However, Rubio was said to have had a firmer message in private, telling Panama that US President Donald Trump
CHEER ON: Students were greeted by citizens who honked their car horns or offered them food and drinks, while taxi drivers said they would give marchers a lift home Hundreds of students protesting graft they blame for 15 deaths in a building collapse on Friday marched through Serbia to the northern city of Novi Sad, where they plan to block three Danube River bridges this weekend. They received a hero’s welcome from fellow students and thousands of local residents in Novi Said after arriving on foot in their two-day, 80km journey from Belgrade. A small red carpet was placed on one of the bridges across the Danube that the students crossed as they entered the city. The bridge blockade planned for yesterday is to mark three months since a huge concrete construction
DIVERSIFY: While Japan already has plentiful access to LNG, a pipeline from Alaska would help it move away from riskier sources such as Russia and the Middle East Japan is considering offering support for a US$44 billion gas pipeline in Alaska as it seeks to court US President Donald Trump and forestall potential trade friction, three officials familiar with the matter said. Officials in Tokyo said Trump might raise the project, which he has said is key for US prosperity and security, when he meets Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba for the first time in Washington as soon as next week, the sources said. Japan has doubts about the viability of the proposed 1,287km pipeline — intended to link fields in Alaska’s north to a port in the south, where
RSS