Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam's yearbook photo shows blackface, KKK outfit

The yearbook page for Gov. Ralph Northam (D) from his time at Eastern Virginia Medical School features a photo of a man wearing blackface and another wearing a Ku Klux Klan outfit standing side by side.

The photo, first published by Big League Politics, is from the school’s 1984 yearbook. A spokesperson for EVMS confirmed the photo’s authenticity to HuffPost, and clarified that it came from a “student-produced publication.”

The page features the governor’s full name with photos of him. But off to the side of the page is a photo of two unnamed men dressed in the racist garb. A quote from a Willie Nelson song apparently submitted by Northam says: “There are more old drunks than old doctors in this world so I think I’ll have another beer.”

“Racism has no place in Virginia,” Republican Party of Virginia Chairman Jack Wilson said in a statement. “These pictures are wholly inappropriate. If Governor Northam appeared in blackface or dressed in a KKK robe, he should resign immediately.”

But State Senate Minority Leader Richard L. Saslaw (D-Fairfax) defended the governor, The Washington Post reported.

“His whole life has been about exactly the opposite, and that’s what you need to examine, not something that occurred 30 years ago, Saslaw told the publication. “While it’s in very poor taste, I would think no one in the General Assembly ... would like their college conduct examined. I would hate to have to go back and examine my two years in the Army. Trust me. I was 18 years old and I was a handful, OK? His life since then has been anything but. It’s been a life of helping people, and many times for free.”

A spokesperson for the governor did not respond to a request for comment from HuffPost.

• This article originally appeared on HuffPost.