Feb 9, 2019

Poll: Virginians split on whether Northam should step down

Photo: Matt McClain/The Washington Post via Getty Images

Virginians are split on whether Democratic Gov. Ralph Northam should step down after the discovery of a racist photo on his 1984 medical school yearbook page with 47% wanting him to resign and 47% believing he should stay in office, according to a Washington Post-Schar School poll.

By the numbers: The poll, which was conducted from Wednesday through Friday, shows 42% of Republicans and 58% of African-Americans believe Northam should remain in office. It also addressed the other scandals currently riling Democrats in Richmond: 60% believe Attorney General Mark Herring, who admitted to wearing blackface in 1980, should stay in office and 65% are undecided on the fate of Lt. Gov. Justin Fairfax, who faces two allegations of sexual assault that he has denied, though the poll was conducted before the second allegation came to light.

Go deeper: Everyone who has called for Ralph Northam's resignation

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Axios
Updated 6 hours ago - Politics & Policy

Coronavirus dashboard

Illustration: Sarah Grillo/Axios

  1. Global: Total confirmed cases as of 10 p.m. ET: 32,471,119 — Total deaths: 987,593 — Total recoveries: 22,374,557 — Map.
  2. U.S.: Total confirmed cases as of 10 p.m. ET: 7,032,524 — Total deaths: 203,657 — Total recoveries: 2,727,335 — Total tests: 99,483,712 — Map.
  3. States: "We’re not closing anything going forward": Florida fully lifts COVID restaurant restrictions — Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam tests positive for coronavirus.
  4. Health: Young people accounted for 20% of cases this summer.
  5. Business: Coronavirus has made airports happier places —The expiration of Pandemic Unemployment Assistance looms.
  6. Education: Where bringing students back to school is most risky.
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Mike Allen, author of AM
9 hours ago - Politics & Policy

Biden pushes unity message in new TV wave

A fresh Joe Biden ad, "New Start," signals an effort by his campaign to make unity a central theme, underscoring a new passage in his stump speech that says he won't be a president just for Democrats but for all Americans.

What he's saying: The ad — which began Friday night, and is a follow-up to "Fresh Start" — draws from a Biden speech earlier in the week in Manitowoc, Wisconsin:

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Jonathan Swan, Alayna Treene, Sam Baker
10 hours ago - Politics & Policy

Trump prepares to announce Amy Coney Barrett as Supreme Court replacement

Judge Amy Coney Barrett. Photo: Matt Cashore/Notre Dame University via Reuters

President Trump is preparing to nominate federal appeals court Judge Amy Coney Barrett of Indiana, a favorite of both the social conservative base and Republican elected officials, to succeed Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, Republican sources tell Axios.

Why it matters: Barrett would push the already conservative court further and harder to the right, for decades to come, on the most important issues in American politics — from abortion to the limits of presidential power. If confirmed, she would give conservatives a 6-3 majority on the high court.

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