US

Big-Name Democrats Call On Northam To Resign Following Racist Yearbook Photo Controversy

REUTERS/ Jay Paul

Daily Caller News Foundation logo
Neetu Arnold Contributor
Font Size:

Several big-name Democratic politicians are calling on Democratic Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam to resign following a racist picture that appeared on a page set aside for him in his 1984 medical school yearbook.

Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren, New Jersey Sen. Cory Booker and New York Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand were some of the Democrats who called on Northam to step down. The picture showed one person wearing blackface and another in a Ku Klux Klan costume in Northam’s section of the yearbook.

Hawaii Rep. Tulsi Gabbard, who will be running for president in 2020, said Northam must resign if he cannot “win back” trust in a tweet Saturday. She added, however, that there needs to be space for people to “evolve away from hatred and bigotry.”

Gabbard previously called on Congress to take “action immediately” to censure Iowa Republican Rep. Steve King over his questions on how the terms “white nationalist” and “white supremacist” became offensive. (RELATED: Tulsi Gabbard Chides Fellow Democrats For Anti-Catholic Bigotry)

New York Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez also called out King, but had not tweeted about Northam at the time of reporting.

As of Saturday evening, Ocasio-Cortez tweeted the following:

Northam apologized for the picture appearing in the Eastern Virginia Medical School yearbook Friday, but then denied being in the picture in a Saturday press conference.

Warren, Booker, Gabbard, Ocasio-Cortez and Gillibrand did not immediately respond to The Daily Caller News Foundation’s requests for comment.

UPDATE: This article has been updated to show Ocasio-Cortez’s comments on Northam.

Follow Neetu on Twitter

All content created by the Daily Caller News Foundation, an independent and nonpartisan newswire service, is available without charge to any legitimate news publisher that can provide a large audience. All republished articles must include our logo, our reporter’s byline and their DCNF affiliation. For any questions about our guidelines or partnering with us, please contact licensing@dailycallernewsfoundation.org.