Virginia megathread

[Reluctant Republican]

Does this give Northam more of a lifeline? I suspect alleged sexual assault is juicier than a racist photo, and it might cause some dems to pause in trying to get him out until they can figure out what is going on( to paraphrase a line from Trump)

I wonder when and if we'll see the first national dem weigh in on this matter. But rightly or wrongly (and I lean towards wrongly if there is no proof), this has probably already made Fairfax a bit toxic.  There may not be enough supporting evidence to force him out here. But unless he can prove his innocence conclusively with texts or some such, he'll probably always be kept at arms length by the national party, with no one actively seeking his endorsement, and likely destroying any chance he had of further advancement.

[Reluctant Republican]

Northam has got to be the luckiest politician in the country. Or at least have access to some sort of reverse monkey's paw, where he receives bad luck followed immediately by an incredible break.

[Reluctant Republican]

Imagine if Northam had resigned immediately. Fairfax may have been the shortest serving Governor in modern history.

I have to imagine if he refuses to step down he'll be impeached. 

[Reluctant Republican]

One thing I wonder is the economic impact of all of this. IIRC conventions pulled out of I want to say Kansas over anti LGBT policies. If Northam stays will we see a concerted effort by the NAACP or some group to pressure groups to not hold events in Virginia?

[Reluctant Republican]

Good job by Fairfax with his latest statement. They need to start using the term coup d’état because that’s what this really is. We must hang onto power at all costs. We cannot let Republicans have the trifecta because of a couple bad pictures and two women being paid to say that Fairfax raped them.

It's looking increasingly likely that Northam will survive this, and I don't believe anyone in the party has called for Herring to go. The chances of the GOP having them all resign and take control are frankly nill.  But can we perhaps admit that the allegations against Fairfax here are a little more troubling? Accusing these women of being paid off is rather insulting, especially since the first one made these allegations plain over a year ago. Unless you really believe this was a long game by the Republicans, in which case, why not use it while he was running for election?

That aside, I do agree that from an optics standpoint, Fairfax being the only one to resign from these assorted scandals is horrible looking. But what he is being accused of is a serious crime, and the party has made it clear they want Northam gone. There is not much more they can do to get rid of him.