Hours after the story broke, Northam put out a statement acknowledging that “a website published a photograph of me from my 1984 medical school yearbook in a costume that is clearly racist and offensive.”
The governor said he was “deeply sorry” and added that “this behavior is not in keeping with who I am today and the values” he holds. He didn’t directly address the possibility that he would resign but acknowledged that “I understand how this decision shakes Virginians’ faith” in his commitment to his values. It also doesn’t sound like he’s considering leaving office, with him instead declaring that he “recognize[s] that it will take time and serious effort to heal the damage this conduct has caused. I am ready to do that important work.”
Should Northam leave office before his term expires in early 2020, Lt. Gov. Justin Fairfax, a fellow Democrat, would become governor. Fairfax would become Virginia’s second-ever black governor.