Last week, the Harvard College Democrats called for the resignation of Virginia Governor Ralph Northam. We remain committed to our belief that Governor Northam has betrayed our values and must step down. After hearing that Virginia Attorney General
Mark Herring also used blackface on one occasion, we affirm our stance that racism and public service are incompatible and call for Attorney General Herring to step down.
In last week’s statement, we also urged Governor Northam to allow Lieutenant Governor Justin Fairfax to lead Virginia forward. However, over the course of this week, we were unnerved and disappointed to hear about two sexual assault allegations against Lt. Governor Fairfax.
We believe survivors, and we believe that Lt. Governor Fairfax must step down. Virginians deserve leaders in office whom they can trust. The conduct detailed in the allegations against Fairfax has broken the trust of Virginians and everyone who campaigned for him, including members of the Harvard College Democrats.
We are aware that if Northam, Fairfax, and Herring all step down, Speaker of the Virginia House of Delegates Kirk Cox (R) will become governor. We believe that our moment in time calls on us to act in accordance with our values of equity, accountability, inclusion, and justice. We cannot support Northam, Fairfax, or Herring’s leadership. All three men must step down to allow Virginia to come together and begin to heal from the wounds racism and sexual assault have inflicted.
As College Democrats, we will never stop working to uphold our values on campus and beyond, especially by campaigning for elected officials who share that commitment to our values.