Democratic Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam thanked voters for standing by him in the aftermath of the blackface and Klu Klux Klan yearbook photo scandal from early 2019.
Northam was discussing on CNN Democrats taking the state senate, giving them complete control of the state, when anchor John Berman asked him about the scandal.
"Certainly race and equity is something I’ve fought for since I have been in public office. Even practicing as a pediatrician. I’ve always been inclusive. And we’ve moved forward from that," Northam said.
"Certainly race and equity will continue to be a top priority of mine, but this was about a bigger picture yesterday and I would also take the opportunity to thank Virginians. They stuck with me. They elected me to be their 73rd governor. They didn’t turn their backs on me. They supported me," he continued. "They appreciate what we’ve done, what our leadership has done. And I think they look forward to me continuing to do some good work. And right now we have a unique opportunity in Virginia with control of both the House, the Senate and governor’s office. Good things are going to happen."
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Northam said the school system will be having a curriculum "on where we want to make sure that we’re teaching our children the truth about history in Virginia."
When the pictures from Northam's yearbook page first emerged, he admitted to being in the picture without specifying which person was him. Northam later backtracked and said he was not in the photo and did not know how the picture was on his page.
With Democrats' Tuesday victory, they have control of the state legislature for the first time in more than two decades.
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