Rep. Donald McEachin, a Democrat who represents the Richmond, Va., area in Congress, said Thursday embattled Virginia Attorney General Mark Herring should not step down after disclosing he dressed up in blackface in college.
“I don’t think there is a call for Mark to resign,” McEachin, who is black, said.
Herring revealed Wednesday he wore blackface at a college party in 1980 as his name began to surface as a successor to Gov. Ralph Northam, whom Democrats, including McEachin, have called on to resign because of his own admission that he dressed in blackface.
“I think there is a difference between the way he handled things and the way Northam did,” McEachin said.
Northam initially apologized after a photo was published online from his 1984 medical school yearbook page showing a man in blackface and another person in a Ku Klux Klan outfit. Later Northam said he was not in the photo, but admitted to once dressing in blackface for a dance competition.
Herring may be the last person standing in the way of a Republican taking over as governor.
Lt. Gov. Justin Fairfax, who would be next in line to succeed Northam if he resigns, is under increasing scrutiny after college professor Vanessa Tyson accused him of sexually assaulting her in 2004. Fairfax has denied the sexual assault allegation, saying their encounter was consensual.
“I think Dr. Tyson has a compelling story and I think she needs to be taken seriously,” McEachin said. “What we really need to do is have an investigation. Right now, as of today, it’s a ‘he said, she said.’ That’s not to denigrate Dr. Tyson. She put together a very believable statement. You can’t judge it on just her word or his word.”
The U.S. House’s Virginia delegation is preparing a joint statement about Fairfax, McEachin said, but he would not disclose what it will say about the matter.
Northam has so far refused to resign and remains governor.
