FILE PHOTO: Virginia Governor Elect Ralph Northam (C) celebrates with, left to right, Gov. Terry McAuliffe, Lt. Governor Elect Justin Fairfax, Attorney General Mark Herring and Sen. Mark Warner (D-VA), at his election night rally on the campus of George Mason University in Fairfax, Virginia, November 7, 2017. REUTERS/Aaron P. Bernstein/File Photo - RC12724D5A00

Virginia Attorney General Mark Herring reveals he wore blackface in 1980

Politics

RICHMOND, Va. — Another top Virginia Democrat has admitted to wearing blackface decades ago. Attorney General Mark Herring issued a statement Wednesday saying he wore brown makeup and a wig in 1980 to look like a black rapper during a party as an undergraduate at the University of Virginia.

The revelation further roils the top levels of Virginia government. Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam and Lt. Gov. Justin Fairfax are already facing controversies, and Herring would be next in line to be governor after those two men.

Many including Herring have urged Northam to resign after the discovery of a photo of someone in blackface on his 1984 medical school yearbook page. Fairfax, next in line to be governor, has been accused of sexual misconduct, which he denies.

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Virginia Attorney General Mark Herring reveals he wore blackface in 1980 first appeared on the PBS News website.

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