Virginia gov. resists resignation call over blackface photo

National News

February 4, 2019 - 9:17 AM

Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam, with his wife Pam at his side, said at a news conference in the Executive Mansion on Saturday that he is not the person in the racist photo in the EVMS yearbook and he will not resign. (Steve Earley/Virginian Pilot/TNS)

RICHMOND, Va. (AP) — Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam was clinging to office Monday morning amid nearly unanimous calls from his own party to resign over a racist photo in his 1984 medical school yearbook, after a bizarre weekend in which he first admitted he was in the picture, and then denied it.

The Democrat’s stunning about-face — at a weekend news conference where he also acknowledged putting on blackface to imitate Michael Jackson at a dance contest decades ago, and appeared to briefly entertain the notion of doing the moonwalk for reporters — only seemed to make things worse.

A Northam official, who was not authorized to speak on the record, said the governor met Sunday evening with minority officials in his administration. It wasn’t immediately known what was discussed and the official spoke on condition of anonymity.

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