Virginia Governor Ralph Northam simply must resign.

Governor Northam's 1984 medical school yearbook includes a racist photo of two young men, one dressed in KKK garb, and a companion in blackface. The yearbook claims the photo is of Northam, though it doesn't indicate which costume is his. As soon as the story went public, North admitted the photo was him, and apologized.

But then the next day, Northam, a Democrat, retracted his confession, and said instead that he doesn't "believe" the photo is a picture of him. Northam now says this is the first time he's seen the yearbook -- he says he didn't purchase it when it came out -- and that he initially thought the photo was of him, and that's why he apologized, but now he "believes" it's not.

There are a number of odd things about this story.

1. If the photo isn't of Northam, then why did he "admit" earlier that it was and apologize for it? Why was there doubt in Northam's mind as to whether he had dressed in blackface or as a Klansman in college? Isn't that something you'd know? Northam can't explain his earlier confession.

2. Northam now keeps saying he doesn't "believe" it was a photo him, rather than unequivocally stating that it was NOT him in the photo. Again, who isn't sure whether they appeared in blackface or as a Klansman in college? If it wasn't you, you'd be pretty adamant about that fact.

3. Even if Northam had never seen the yearbook at the time, we're to believe that someone published a picture of Northam as either a Klansman or in blackface WITH a Klansman, and none of his friends told Northam about it when the yearbook came out, or at any point over the subsequent 30 years?

Northam's defense just doesn't add up. If the picture wasn't of him, he would have said so unequivocally last night. Instead, he confessed, then later rescinded his confession.

Everyone who's anyone in Democratic politics has called for Northam to step down because his excuses simply don't pass the smell test. Please join us in adding your name to those calling for Governor Northam to do the right thing and step down for the good of Virginia, for the good of our party, and simply because it's the right thing to do.