Governor: ‘I’m not going anywhere’

Democratic Gov. Ralph Northam considered resigning amid a scandal that he once wore blackface, but he said Sunday he’s “not going anywhere” because the state “needs someone that can heal” it. Northam made the comments on CBS’ “Face the Nation,” saying it had been a difficult week since a racist photo in his 1984 medical school yearbook surfaced, showing a person wearing blackface next to a second person wearing a Ku Klux Klan hood and robe. Northam initially said he had appeared in the photo and apologized. The next day, however, he denied being in the photo, while acknowledging that he had worn blackface to a dance party that same year.

“Virginia needs someone that can heal. There’s no better person to do that than a doctor,” Northam said. “Virginia also needs someone who is strong, who has empathy, who has courage and who has a moral compass. And that’s why I’m not going anywhere.”

Northam’s political turmoil comes as the two other top Democrats in the state face their own scandals, with allegations of sexual assault against Lt. Gov. Justin Fairfax — Northam’s successor if the governor were to resign — and Attorney General Mark Herring acknowledging he wore blackface at a party in 1980.