Dems Flip-Flop on Resignation Calls, Now Taking Donations from Ralph Northam
Several Democrats from Virginia who once called for their governor’s resignation are now accepting donations from him, according to The Washington Free Beacon.
Gov. Ralph Northam came under scrutiny earlier this year when a 1984 yearbook photo surfaced that ostensibly showed him wearing blackface.
According to campaign finance reports released Monday, Northam’s Way Ahead PAC has given $117,500 to Democrats since June. Senatorial candidates Cheryl Turpin and Ghazala Hashmi were two of the recipients.
Both hopefuls received $25,000 from Northam’s PAC, The Free Beacon reported, and are running in tough districts which are currently held by Republicans. However, both candidates had previously called for Northam’s resignation earlier this year.
Shortly after the photos emerged, Turpin wrote in a statement, “Though he has issued an apology, I do not believe it goes far enough.”
“I join my fellow legislators in calling for [Governor Northam’s] resignation.”
After much reflection, I have joined my caucus in calling for the @GovernorVA resignation. pic.twitter.com/c6jmnGZfAR
— Cheryl Turpin (@CherylTurpinVB) February 2, 2019
Similarily, Hashmi wrote a statement in February that she stood “in solidarity” with the Virginia Black Caucus and called for Northam’s resignation.
I stand in solidarity with @VaBlackCaucus and call for @GovernorVA to resign. https://t.co/jBEeaeXZms
— Hashmi4VASenate (@Hashmi4Va) February 2, 2019
While the governor may have had trouble raising money after the scandal broke, it appears that Democrats have all but forgotten it.
Campaign finance documents show an actual increase in donations to Northam’s PAC since the last campaign documents were filed shortly after the scandal. The documents reveal the PAC received more than $300,000 from April 1 to June 30, The Free Beacon reports.
After the scandal broke earlier this year, Northam quickly apologized but said he had no idea which person in the controversial photograph was him. It showed two students — one in blackface and the other wearing a Ku Klux Klan robe.
Since the release of that photo, a law firm found that it was unable “to conduct a comparison with other photographs” due to the picture’s quality.
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