Virginia Governor Ralph Northam (D) is expected to hold a press conference on Saturday at 2:30 p.m. eastern time to address a controversial yearbook photo that surfaced on Friday.
According to CNN the photo, which was obtained by the media outlet “appears in the 1984 Eastern Virginia Medial School yearbook and shows one person dressed in blackface and another in the KKK’s signature white hood and robes.”
The Washington Post reported on Saturday that according to Democratic party officials, Northam, has refused to resign, even as pressure mounts for him to do so.
The article goes on to say, that Northam, according to State Senator L. Louise Lucas (D-Portsmouth), called her on Saturday morning and “told her he did not think the picture was of him and he did not plan to resign.”
On Friday, the now embattled Governor who has been in office less than 13 months, apologized for the photo, saying at that time, “I am deeply sorry for the decision I made to appear as I did in this photo and for the hurt that decision caused then and now.”
Virginia Democrats via tweet(s) have issued a statement withdrawing their support of Northam.
According to The Washington Post, Democratic Presidential hopefuls have also called for the Governor of Virginia to resign, “Sen. Elizabeth Warren (Mass.), Sen. Kamala D. Harris (Calif.), Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand (N.Y.), Sen. Cory Booker (N.J.) and Julián Castro, a former mayor of San Antonio.”
If the Governor does step down there are calls for him to hand over the Governorship to his Lt. Governor Justin Fairfax (D).
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