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Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam won’t resign: ‘I am not the person in this photo’

Posted at 3:02 PM, Feb 02, 2019
and last updated 2019-02-03 10:04:49-05

RICHMOND, Va. -- Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam said he does not believe he is either person in the racist photo that appeared in his 1984 yearbook but that he did once darken his face to resemble Michael Jackson during a dance contest in 1984.

In a remarkable, hour-long news conference at the Governor's Mansion in Richmond, Northam defended himself from the cacophony of calls for his resignation, but acknowledged that he had made mistakes on race in his past, like when he darkened his face for the dance contest.

"I believe now and then that I am not either of the people in this photo," Northam said, denying that he had ever worn a KKK robe and hood or been drunk enough to forget a moment like this. "This was not me in that picture. That was not Ralph Northam."

The racist photograph, which was obtained by CNN, appears in the 1984 Eastern Virginia Medical School yearbook and shows one person dressed in blackface and another in the KKK's signature white hood and robes.

Despite numerous calls for him to resign, Northam said he would try to win over those who want him out.

"I intend to continue doing the business of Virginia," he said, adding that resigning would be the easier way out.

"I could spare myself from the difficult path that lies ahead. I could avoid an honest conversation about harmful actions from my past," he said. "I cannot in good conscience chose the path that would be easier for me in an effort to duck my responsibility to reconcile."

Northam's support continues to dwindle

His news conference did not immediately win over those who had demanded his ouster, and if the expected outcome was of one that would stop the bleeding, it did not work.

Both of Virginia's senators -- Mark Warner and Tim Kaine -- and Rep. Bobby Scott called on Northam to resign following his news conference.

"After we watched his press conference today, we called Governor Northam to tell him that we no longer believe he can effectively serve as Governor of Virginia and that he must resign. Governor Northam has served the people of the Commonwealth faithfully for many years, but the events of the past 24 hours have inflicted immense pain and irrevocably broken the trust Virginians must have in their leaders. He should step down and allow the Commonwealth to begin healing," the three said in a joint statement.

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