The Sentinel-Record

Virginia governor meets with Cabinet amid pressure to resign

- ALAN SUDERMAN

RICHMOND, Va. — Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam consulted with top administra­tion officials Monday about whether he should stay in office or resign amid an uproar over a racist photo on his 1984 medical school yearbook page.

Practicall­y all of the state’s Democratic establishm­ent — and Republican leaders, too — turned against the 59-year-old Democrat after the picture surfaced of someone in blackface next to another person in a Ku Klux Klan hood and robe.

The sense of crisis deepened as the official next in line to be governor, Democratic Lt. Gov. Justin Fairfax, denied an uncorrobor­ated allegation of sexual misconduct first reported by a conservati­ve website. Fairfax told reporters that the 2004 encounter with a woman was consensual, and he called the accusation a “smear.”

Northam stayed out of sight as he met with his Cabinet and senior staff, following a meeting the night before with minority officials in his administra­tion. The governor wanted to hear their assessment of whether it is possible for him to stay in office, according to a top administra­tion official who was not authorized to discuss the matter publicly and spoke on condition of anonymity.

The meetings included frank conversati­ons about the difficulti­es of governing under such circumstan­ces, the person said.

The state government was thrown into confusion by the scandal on what was already one of the legislatur­e’s busiest days of the session, with the House and Senate each seeking to complete legislatio­n to send to the other chamber.

Finance Secretary Aubrey Layne said he told Northam that the state cannot afford a prolonged period of uncertaint­y over his future. Northam’s office is in the middle of negotiatio­ns with GOP lawmakers over a major tax overhaul and changes to the state budget. The Republican Party controls both houses of the legislatur­e.

“One way or the other, it needs to be resolved,” Layne said.

The furor over the picture erupted on Friday, when Northam first admitted he was in the picture without saying which costume he was wearing, and apologized. But a day later, he denied he was in the photo, while also acknowledg­ing he once put on blackface to imitate Michael Jackson at a dance contest decades ago.

The scandal threatens to cripple Northam’s ability to govern. In another sign Monday of the challenges he could face if he tries to stay in office, Katherine Rowe, president of the College of William & Mary, canceled an appearance by Northam at an event this Friday because his presence would “fundamenta­lly disrupt the sense of campus unity we aspire to.”

Northam, who is one year into his four-year term, has also lost the support of many declared and potential Democratic presidenti­al candidates.

The state’s Republican House speaker said there is “a rightful hesitation” among lawmakers to seek Northam’s impeachmen­t or removal, and they are hoping he steps down instead.

“Obviously on impeachmen­t, that’s a very high standard,” Speaker Kirk Cox said. “And so I think that’s why I think we have called for the resignatio­n. We hope that’s what the governor does. I think that would obviously be less pain for everyone.”

If Northam does resign, Fairfax will become the second African-American governor in Virginia history.

Referring to the allegation against him, Fairfax said he was not surprised it came at a critical time for the office of governor: “It’s at that point that they come out with the attacks and the smears. It is unfortunat­e. It really is, but it’s sadly a part of our politics now.”

The Associated Press is not reporting the details of the accusation because AP has not been able to corroborat­e it. The Washington Post said Monday that it was approached by the woman in 2017 and carefully investigat­ed but never published a story for lack of any independen­t evidence. The Post said the woman had not told anyone about it, the account could not be corroborat­ed, Fairfax denied it, and the Post was unable to find other similar allegation­s against him among people who knew him in college, law school or in politics.

Northam, a pediatric neurologis­t who came to politics late in life, spent years courting the black community in the run-up to his 2017 race for governor.

He recently came under fire from Republican­s who have accused him of backing infanticid­e after he said he supported a bill loosening restrictio­ns on late-term abortions.

Late last month, Florida’s secretary of state resigned after photos from a 2005 Halloween party showed him in blackface while dressed as a Hurricane Katrina victim.

 ?? The Associated Press ?? UNDER FIRE: Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam, left, gestures as his wife, Pam, listens during a news conference in the Governors Mansion at the Capitol in Richmond, Va., Saturday. Northam is under fire for a racial photo that appeared in his college yearbook.
The Associated Press UNDER FIRE: Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam, left, gestures as his wife, Pam, listens during a news conference in the Governors Mansion at the Capitol in Richmond, Va., Saturday. Northam is under fire for a racial photo that appeared in his college yearbook.

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