Virginia Governor, Lt. Governor, and Attorney General Must All Resign

[Content Note: White supremacy; sexual assault.]

Following the disclosure that Democratic Virginia Governor Ralph Northam had posed in blackface for a photo and had a racist nickname when he was a young man, Democratic Virginia Attorney General Mark Herring has admitted that he, too, dressed in blackface to attend a party when he was a young man.

Further, Democratic Virginia Lieutenant Governor Justin Fairfax is alleged to have sexually assaulted Dr. Vanessa Tyson at the 2004 Democratic convention. Dr. Tyson has now publicly told her story, and it is harrowing to read.

All three men must resign. That is clear.

What is not clear is who will run Virginia, a state whose voters democratically elected Democratic leadership, which has now let them down. It doesn't seem right that they should end up with non-elected Republican leadership, just because Democrats actually want to hold their leaders accountable for racism and sexual abuse.

It's also not right, however, that any of these three men should retain their positions.

I'm not sure what will happen, especially since none of these men have indicated they are planning to resign. I'm deeply sorry for the progressive voters of Virginia, who deserve better than this.

[Commenting Note: Please note as you head to comments that Virginia is not the only place where grotesque displays of white supremacy still exist. There have been and continue to be incidents of white people wearing blackface all over the country. Expressing unique contempt for Virginia, or shock that this still happens at all, is not helpful in this moment. Both racism and sexual assault are endemic throughout the country and the world, unfortunately.]