Van Hollen, Raskin Call On Gov. Ralph Northam To Resign

Correction: Article incorrectly labeled Jamie Raskin as a senator. He is a U.S. Congressman.

BETHESDA, MD — U.S. Rep. Jamie Raskin (D-Md.) and Sen. Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.) called on embattled Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam (D) to "do the right thing" and resign, following a racist yearbook photo that surfaced Friday.

The photo, from Northam's 1984 East Virginia Medical School yearbook, features a man in blackface and another in a Ku Klux Klan costume. After first apologizing for it on Friday, the Democrat now denies being in the photo and says he will not step down despite mounting pressure from prominent lawmakers.

"Governor Northam: From your neighboring state across the Potomac River, please do the right thing for our region and the country — resign. Your actions have been unacceptable and your explanation inadequate," Van Hollen wrote on Twitter.

Governor Northam: From your neighboring state across the Potomac River, please do the right thing for our region and the country—resign. Your actions have been unacceptable and your explanation inadequate.
— Chris Van Hollen (@ChrisVanHollen) February 3, 2019

If Northam, 59, were to resign, Lt. Gov. Justin Fairfax would become the second African-American governor of Virginia.

On Sunday, Raskin said Northam "should act with honor" and make Fairfax governor.

"Ralph Northam should act with honor by resigning and making Justin Fairfax Governor. America has moral clarity on this and Northam should have recognized long ago that racism is dangerous and disqualifying for political leaders," Raskin tweeted.

Ralph Northam should act with honor by resigning and making Justin Fairfax Governor. America has moral clarity on this and Northam should have recognized long ago that racism is dangerous and disqualifying for political leaders.
— Rep. Jamie Raskin (@RepRaskin) February 4, 2019

Fairfax, who is now facing sexual assault allegations, issued a statement Saturday addressing the racially offensive yearbook photo.

"As we commemorate 400 years since the first enslaved Africans were brought to Virginia, it is painful to experience such a searing reminder of the modern legacy of our nation's orginal sin," Fairfax said. "And, as someone whose great-great-great grandfather was enslaved in Virginia, this episode strikes particularly close to home."

In his statement, however, Fairfax did not call on Northam to resign.

Photo by Alex Edelman/Getty Images