Embattled Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam, who was expected to hold a press conference Saturday, will not resign.
That’s according to the Virginia Democratic Party, which announced on Twitter it had “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.”
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.
— Virginia Democrats (@vademocrats) February 2, 2019
Northam is facing mounting calls for his resignation after a racist photo from his 1984 medical school yearbook surfaced, in which he appears either in blackface or in Ku Klux Klan attire.
Northam apologized for the photo on Friday but said he was committed to finishing his term and did not reveal whether he was the man wearing blackface or the KKK robes. He was expected to hold a
The state party, however, said it wants the lieutenant governor to take the helm.
“We stand with Democrats across Virginia and the country calling him to immediately resign. 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,” the organization tweeted.
We can think of no better person than Lt. Gov. Justin Fairfax to do so.
— Virginia Democrats (@vademocrats) February 2, 2019
Northam, a 59-year-old pediatric neurologist had come under fire earlier in the week for comments he made about legislation that would loosen restrictions on abortions in the state. He was elected governor in 2017, after having served as lieutenant governor under former Gov. Terry McAuliffe. McAuliffe called for his resignation late Friday.
