Ralph Northam: Virginia governor 'said racist yearbook photo wasn't him' after refusing to resign

Virginia governor Ralph Northam is refusing to resign despite overwhelming pressure from within his Democratic party and has told at least one lawmaker that he now does not think that a racist photo in his 1984 yearbook includes him, Democratic party officials said.

Mr Northam publicly apologised on Friday for the medical school yearbook photo and acknowledged that he appeared in the image, which is of one man in blackface and another in a Ku Klux Klan robe.

But state senator L Louise Lucas said that Mr Northam called her on Saturday morning and told her he did not think the picture was of him and he did not plan to resign.

"He should have said that yesterday then," she said. "He just told me he didn't think it's him. And I said, 'Ralph, this is a day late and a dollar short. It's too late.'"

Around 10:30 a.m., the state Democratic party tweeted: "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."

Mr Northam was defying an avalanche of calls to step down from the office he'd assumed not 13 months ago.

He spent Friday night huddled with advisers. A meeting with the state's legislative black caucus went poorly.

National Democrats, including a host of a 2020 contenders and former Vice President Joe Biden, said he must resign.

And even home-state allies who regarded him as a dear friend - including immediate predecessor and patron Terry McAuliffe, a Democrat, himself a potential presidential candidate - said he had to go.

By 9 am on Saturday, Mr Northam still had sent no word of his plans. But even friends who hoped he could weather the crisis were bracing for his resignation - a first for a Virginia governor in modern times.

More than a dozen protesters braved the frigid air to protest outside the governor's mansion, holding signs such as "Blackface, no place" and "Step down and do Virginia a favor." They chanted "Resign now!"

"There's no question the tide turned," said one ally, who had been briefed by the governor's senior staff and spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to disclose the private discussions.

Mr Northam and his inner circle had been preparing to fight as news of the photograph broke Friday afternoon - he issued a written apology, then a video mea culpa. They planned a "reconciliation tour", taking him across the commonwealth to say he was sorry in person, his ally said.

"Then everything changed between 6 and 9 p.m.," the ally said, as national Democrats unleashed a torrent of calls for his resignation.

On Friday, Mr Northam, 59, released a statement and a video in which he admitted to appearing in the photo, although he did not say which costume he wore.

"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," he said. "This behavior is not in keeping with who I am today and the values I have fought for throughout my career in the military, in medicine, and in public service. But I want to be clear, I understand how this decision shakes Virginians' faith in that commitment."

As cable television devoted hours to the controversy and social media lit up with #ResignRalph hashtags, Mr Northam's most trusted allies called for him to step down, including state Senate and House Democrats, Virginia's Legislative Black Caucus and Planned Parenthood. Calls to resign also came from Democratic presidential hopefuls Sen. Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts, Sen. Kamala Harris of California, Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand of New York, Sen. Cory Booker of New Jersey and former San Antonio Mayor Julián Castro.

"Black face in any manner is always racist and never okay," tweeted Derrick Johnson, president of the NAACP. "No matter the party affiliation, we can not stand for such behavior, which is why the @NAACP is calling for the resignation of Virginia Governor @RalphNortham."

The photo reverberated across the country and shook Virginians, who have struggled with a long and difficult legacy around race.

"Virginia's history is unfortunately replete with the scars and unhealed wounds caused by racism, bigotry and discrimination," said Virginia Attorney General Mark Herring, a Democrat who plans to run for governor in 2021. "It is imperative that Governor Northam hears and truly listens to those who are hurt by this image as he considers what comes next."

Herring's remarks, which stopped short of calling for Mr Northam's resignation, closely echoed sentiments expressed by the state's US senators, Tim Kaine and Mark Warner, both Democrats.

Members of the state legislature's Black Caucus said earlier that "what has been revealed is disgusting, reprehensible, and offensive. We feel complete betrayal. The legacy of slavery, racism, and Jim Crow has been an albatross around the necks of African Americans for over 400 years. These pictures rip off the scabs of an excruciatingly painful history and are a piercing reminder of this nation's sins. Those who would excuse the pictures are just as culpable."

The caucus was also grappling with revelations in another yearbook, from Mr Northam's time at Virginia Military Institute. That book listed one of his nicknames as "Coonman", which some members interpreted as a racial slur.

A Northam spokeswoman did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the nickname's meaning.

Hours after his apology, the governor released a video that repeated his contrition but said he intended to serve out the remaining three years of his term.

If Mr Northam were to resign, he would be succeeded by Lt. Gov. Justin Fairfax. Fairfax, a descendant of slaves, would serve the remaining years in Mr Northam's term and then be eligible to run for a full four-year term.

Mr Northam's resignation would be the first in modern Virginia history.

The image in the yearbook from Eastern Virginia Medical School was on a page with other photos of Mr Northam and personal information about the future governor. Mr Northam, a pediatric neurologist, graduated from the medical school in Norfolk in 1984 after earning an undergraduate degree from VMI.

The yearbook page is labelled "Ralph Shearer Northam" and has photos of him in a jacket and tie, casual clothes and alongside his restored Corvette.

Another photo shows two people, one in plaid pants, bow tie and blackface and the other in a Klan robe. Both appear to be holding beer cans. The person in blackface is smiling. Beneath the photo, Mr Northam lists his alma mater and his interest in pediatrics and offers a quote: "There are more old drunks than old doctors in this world so I think I'll have another beer."

Jack Wilson, chairman of the Republican Party of Virginia, said Mr Northam should step down. "Racism has no place in Virginia," Wilson said in a statement. "These pictures are wholly inappropriate. If Governor Northam appeared in blackface or dressed in a KKK robe, he should resign immediately."

Vivian Paige, a longtime political activist in Norfolk who has known Mr Northam since he first ran for office, said she was distraught over the news and felt Mr Northam should step down.

"I'm disappointed and I believe that he can't lead the party anymore," said Ms Paige, who is African-American. "Ralph and I are a year apart in age. It really cuts to the bone to me that someone would do that at our age. Our generation - the tail end of the baby boom - we grew up in an integrated society. How could you not know that was wrong?"

Several Democratic members of Virginia's congressional delegation also called for Northam to resign, including Reps. Abigail Spanberger, Elaine Luria and A. Donald McEachin, who is African-American and served with Northam in the state Senate.

The yearbook image was first posted Friday by the website Big League Politics, a conservative outlet founded by Patrick Howley, a former writer for the Daily Caller and Breitbart.

The Washington Post independently confirmed the authenticity of the yearbook by viewing it in the medical school library in Norfolk.

The Washington Post