Democrats mute calls for Va. resignations with power at risk

RICHMOND, Va. (AP) — Democrats came down hard on Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam after he apologized for a racist photo in his medical school yearbook. But they were quieter as two more scandals rocked Virginia’s statehouse.

First, the Democrat who would succeed Northam, Lt. Gov. Justin Fairfax, was accused of a 2004 sexual assault in a detailed statement.

Later, the Democrat who would succeed Fairfax, Attorney General Mark Herring, admitted he had worn blackface while in college.

If all three Democrats step down, Republicans will take over the state’s top offices.

The subdued response from national Democrats shows how their zero-tolerance approach has put them in a bind. The party has prided itself on policing its own and hoped to contrast that record with the GOP’s tolerance of misbehavior by President Donald Trump.