ralph northam

The denunciations began within hours of the disclosure that Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam's medical school yearbook page featured a person in blackface standing next to a person in a Ku Klux Klan outfit. Democratic activists and presidential contenders quickly called for his resignation. By the time the Democratic governor held a press conference to defend himself, both the national and state party had also demanded he leave.

Northam has refused to step down so far — he says he's not in the photo. But the pressure he faces highlights his party's insistence on policing its own when it comes to wrongdoing related to race and, in some cases, sexual misconduct.