Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam has told state Democratic Party leaders Saturday morning he will not be resigning, defying his own supporters who had said an offensive photo in his 1984 yearbook has cost him the trust of his voters.
“We made the decision to let Governor Northam do the correct thing and resign this morning - we have gotten word he will not do so this morning,” state party Chair Susan Swecker said in a statement.
She said the state party had been giving Mr. Northam space to leave on his own terms, but since that doesn’t appear likely, the Virginia Democratic Party has withdrawn its support and now wants his immediate resignation.
“He no longer has our confidence or our support. Governor Northam must end this chapter immediately, step down, and let Lt. Gov. Justin Fairfax heal Virginia’s wounds and move us forward,” Ms. Swecker said. “We can think of no better person than Lt. Gov. Justin Fairfax to do so.”
Ms. Swecker’s statement comes about 12 hours after Democrats in Virginia’s House and Senate both withdrew their support from the governor and demanded his ouster.
That was a critical signal to the governor, who little more than a year ago led his party to massive wins in the 2017 elections, bringing Democrats to within a single seat of sharing control of the state House.
But now, with another round of elections looming this November and all 140 House and Senate seats up, Democrats are eyeing a campaign with a governor wounded by the taint of racism, in a state with long deep scars.
They are far more eager to approach the 2019 races with Mr. Fairfax, who is young, dynamic — and also is black.
And Mr. Fairfax as governor would also give Democrats a leg up on the 2021 race for governor, since experts say he would be able to run again. Virginia’s governor is usually prevented from serving consecutive terms, but that appears to be limited only to someone elected to the post, not to someone who ascends because of a vacancy.
Mr. Northam has been reeling since his page in a 1984 yearbook from his medical school emerged, showing a photo of one person in blackface standing next to someone in a KKK outfit.
The governor, in a statement Friday, appeared to take responsibility, saying he was one of those in the photo — though he didn’t say whether he was in the KKK outfit or in blackface. He vowed to make amends.
Yet on Saturday morning, Mr. Northam was reportedly calling state Democratic leaders and telling them he doesn’t recall being in that photo. A New York Times writer reported that on Twitter, as did University of Virginia political scientist Larry Sabato.
The photo has cost Mr. Northam support of nearly every major figure to weigh in — particularly those eager to elevate Mr. Fairfax.
“There is no place for racism in America,” said former Vice President Joseph R. Biden, weighing in on Twitter. “Governor Northam has lost all moral authority and should resign immediately, Justin Fairfax is the leader Virginia needs now.”
The offensive photo was the second black eye for the governor this week.
He also stumbled in a radio interview in defending a bill in the state legislature that would have allowed an abortion to be performed, with a single doctor’s approval, up until birth. The governor, in answering a question, said if the fetus was delivered at that point the mother would be asked whether she wanted to revive it.
“If a mother is in labor, I can tell you exactly what would happen, the infant would be delivered. The infant would be kept comfortable. The infant would be resuscitated if that’s what the mother and the family desired, and then a discussion would ensue between the physicians and mother,” the governor said.
• Stephen Dinan can be reached at sdinan@washingtontimes.com.
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