Democrats criticize Republicans for being allegedly racist yet stand by their own in the face of actual evidence of racism.
In January, Gov. Ralph Northam (D-VA) heavily suggested during a radio show that a baby born alive could be left to die if the mother decided she no longer wanted the child. Here’s his full statement (emphasis added):
This is why decisions such as this should be made by providers, physicians, and the mothers and fathers that are involved. When we talk about third-trimester abortions, these are done with the consent of the mother, with the consent of physicians, more than one physician by the way, and it’s done in cases where there may be severe deformities, there may be a fetus which is non-viable. So in this particular example, if the mother is in labor, I can tell you exactly what would happen, the infant would be delivered, the infant would be kept comfortable, the infant would be resuscitated if this is what the mother and the family desired, and then a discussion would ensue between the physician and the mother.
Days later, a photo from Northam’s medical school yearbook surfaced showing him either wearing blackface or a KKK robe. Northam initially apologized for the photo, but a day later he denied being in the photo and claimed he did not know how it ended up on his personal yearbook page. He then admitted to wearing blackface for a Michael Jackson costume at a different party.
Calls for Northam’s resignation came from prominent Democrats across the country until it was revealed that two women made sexual assault allegations against Lt. Gov. Justin Fairfax (D-VA) and that State Attorney General Mark Herring (second in line for the governorship) also appeared in blackface while in college. The third in line for the governorship was a Republican.
It has now been eight months since the scandal in Virginia, and Northam is more popular in the state than President Donald Trump — a Republican that has been hammered by the media throughout his administration as a criminal, racist, sexist, bigot.
Despite actual photographic evidence of Northam’s bigotry and audio evidence of his inhumanity (as opposed to ideological claims against Trump) the Virginia governor is more popular than the president of the United States.
Trump’s approval in Virginia, which has become more purple as more people have moved to the Northern Virginia area to work in politics, sits at just 37% according to a poll from the Wason Center at Christopher Newport University. NBC News reported that the same poll found Northam had a 51% approval rating in the state.
“The turnaround for Northam is statistically significant: Six months ago, after facing allegations that he appeared in a racist photo during his days in medical school, Northam’s job rating sank to 40 percent in the same poll, with 49 percent of state voter disapproving of his job,” NBC reported.
The same poll showed Democrats are primed to win more seats in the state legislature, holding a 13-point-lead on a generic ballot question.