Ralph Northam is the Governor of Virginia. Through an announcement on 8th April, Thursday, he extended his support towards Terry Auliffe for the gubernatorial primary of the state. This was quite surprising as Ralph Northam decided to support his predecessor despite there were many other diverse and deserving candidates.
This endorsement of Ralph Northam had been removed 2 years back owing to the infamous blackface scandal. Northam was also the former lieutenant governor of McAuliffe between the years 2014 and 2018.
Predecessor Endorsed By Ralph Northam
Northam has recently stated that the enduring impacts of the coronavirus pandemic will be felt for a long period of time. Therefore after he leaves the office, it is of utmost importance that the next person to take on this role must have experience and plans to keep fighting this pandemic and help Virginia recover strongly. He further added that McAuliffe is a very determined man and will go to great extents to lift the condition of Virginia soon.
This decision of Northam to endorse McAuliffe shows that he is snubbing Justin Fairfax, his present lieutenant governor, who is also fighting for this position. Three other strong candidates running for this place are Jennifer McClellan, state Senator, Lee carter, state Del., and Jennifer C. Foy, former state Virginia Del.
McAuliffe has also remarked how honored he feels to receive support from Northam. He also mentioned that COVID-19 has greatly harmed the economy and Northam did an exceptional job as the governor. Furthermore, he promises to take on from here and lead the path towards a better future.
In 2019 McAuliffe was one of the large majority of the Democrats from Virginia who was asked to resign because of the blackface scandal.