Tag: Commonwealth

WISE, Va. (WYMT) - Several political scandals hit top Virginia politicians in recent weeks. "I think it hurts the reputation of the Commonwealth," said UVa-Wise Political Science Professor Eric Drummond Smith. It started when a photo surfaced, allegedly showing governor Ralph Northam wearing black face "I think this is nasty and unpleasant but I think it is part of the necessary growing pains to become a more enlightened society," said Smith. Attorney General Mark Herring faces backlash for wearing blackface. Lieutenant Governor Justin Fairfax is accused of sexual assault. "We have of the four constitutionally defined people in the Executive Branch three of them have now meshed in a scandal," said Smith. Republican State Senate Majority Leader Tommy Norment is under fire for a yearbook he edited containing racist slurs and photos. "We need to start holding these people accountable, Like Northam and all of that, and we need to start pushing back on these racist views people have," said Nathan Fields, who lives in Virginia. Virginians say this reflects poorly upon the commonwealth. You can read more about the scandals here.