Harris calls on Northam to resign
 over KKK, blackface yearbook photo

Sen. Kamala Harris (D-Calif.) called on Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam (D) to resign on Friday after he acknowledged appearing in a picture showing a man wearing blackface and another dressed in a Ku Klux Klan robe.

Harris, a 2020 Democratic presidential candidate, urged Northam to step down “so the public can heal and move forward together.”

{mosads}“Leaders are called to a higher standard, and the stain of racism should have no place in the halls of government,” Harris wrote on Twitter.

Leaders are called to a higher standard, and the stain of racism should have no place in the halls of government. The Governor of Virginia should step aside so the public can heal and move forward together.

— Kamala Harris (@KamalaHarris) February 1, 2019

Julián Castro, another Democratic presidential candidate, has also called for the first-term governor to step down.

It doesn’t matter if he is a Republican or a Democrat. This behavior was racist and unconscionable. Governor Northam should resign.

— Julián Castro (@JulianCastro) February 1, 2019

Northam apologized Friday for appearing in the picture from his medical school yearbook. He did not clarify if he was wearing blackface or the KKK robe.

A number of Democratic lawmakers have since called on Northam to resign after the photo emerged Friday, including Reps. Eric Swalwell (Calif.) and Ted Lieu (Calif.).

Governor Ralph Northam must resign. There is no excuse for the shockingly racist picture. I note that Florida Republican Secretary of State Michael Ertel resigned last month for being in blackface. This picture is even worse. It’s blackface next to a KKK figure. https://t.co/0Ujze6odGW

— Ted Lieu (@tedlieu) February 1, 2019

No, you can’t wear a black face or a white hood and lead a state. Not now and not ever. But we are merciful people. Governor Northam should step down, seek forgiveness, and through good deeds earn the respect of the African-American Community.

— Eric Swalwell (@ericswalwell) February 1, 2019

The Virginia Republican Party has already called on Northam to resign as well.

“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,” Northam said in his statement Friday.

“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.”