Virginia's U.S. Senators joint statement: Gov. Ralph Northam 'must resign'

NORFOLK, Va. — Virginia Governor Ralph Northam said in a press conference Saturday that he would not resign from office, and said he is “not either of the people” in a controversial photo showing one man in a Ku Klux Klan robe and another in blackface that appeared on his 1984 medical school yearbook page.

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Update 6:45 p.m. EST Feb. 2: Virginia's U.S. Senators Tim Kaine and Mark Warner, issued a joint statement calling on Gov. Ralph Northam to resign after revelation of racist yearbook photo.

“After we watched his press conference today, we called Governor Northam to tell him that we no longer believe he can effectively serve as Governor of Virginia and that he must resign. Governor Northam has served the people of the Commonwealth faithfully for many years, but the events of the past 24 hours have inflicted immense pain and irrevocably broken the trust Virginians must have in their leaders. He should step down and allow the Commonwealth to begin healing.”

My statement with Senators @timkaine and @MarkWarner urging Governor Northam to resign. pic.twitter.com/caAx6Im0Ga

Update 3:40 p.m. EST Feb: 2: Northam did admit to"darkening" his face while dressing as Michael Jackson for a dance competition that took place during his time in the U.S. Army in San Antonio, Texas. He apologized for doing so.

Northam spoke for more than 40 minutes from the Virginia Executive Mansion, giving a written statement and answering questions. The governor further asserted he wasn’t aware that the photo was on his yearbook page; saying he didn’t buy a yearbook at the time, and that he hadn’t seen the photo until his staff showed it to him yesterday.

He offered another apology for the photo and asked for forgiveness moving forward.

“I ask Virginians to accept my word; To realize that I have made mistakes in my past; To offer forgiveness,” he said.

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UPDATE 11:20 a.m. EST: Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam is expected to make an announcement at 2:30 p.m. EST, possibly to assert that he is not in a controversial photo from his medical school yearbook page showing one man in a Ku Klux Klan robe and another in blackface, The New York Times reported.

Several organizations and individuals, including the Virginia Democratic Party and the legislative black caucus, have called on Northam to resign. So far, Northam hasn’t made any indication that he plans to step down from his office.

“Earlier today, a website published a photograph of me from my 1984 medical school yearbook in a costume that is clearly racist and offensive,” Northam included in his statement.

Northam admits he is depicted in the photo, but it is unclear which man is Northam.

This image shows Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam’s page in his 1984 Eastern Virginia Medical School yearbook. The page shows a person in blackface and another wearing a KKK hood next to pictures of the governor. (Eastern Virginia Medical School via AP)

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Later, Northam released a video statement and said he would be "committed to continuing that fight through the remainder of my term and living up to the expectations you set for me when you elected me to serve."

The Virginian-Pilot, based in Norfolk, Virginia, released a photo of a 1984 Eastern Virginia Medical School yearbook page that features photos of Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam on the same page as a photo of one man in a Ku Klux Klan robe and the another man in blackface.

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In one of the photos of Northam, he is wearing  a suit, in the other photo, he is leaning against a convertible. The page lists his undergraduate alma mater and his interest as pediatrics.

The Virginian-Pilot said it obtained the page from the medical school’s library.

If Northam were to resign, Lt. Gov. Justin Fairfax, who is African-American, would assume the governor's office.

The Democratic governor’s office did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Republican state Sen. Bryce Reeves said in a statement that Northam should resign if the reports of the photos are accurate.

“I hope that this picture is inaccurate and that the Governor brings clarity to this issue. This has no place in Virginia,” Reeves said.

The photos, which were confirmed by Associated Press, were first published by the conservative news outlet Big League Politics.

Last week, Florida’s secretary of state resigned after photos from a 2005 Halloween party showed him in blackface while dressed as a Hurricane Katrina victim.

Virginia's Governor Ralph Northam (Photo by Larry French/Getty Images for SiriusXM)

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Cox Media Group