“[I]f Donald Trump is helping Virginia, I”
Text from Wikipedia, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
- #wikipedia
- #quote

Figure timeline
Ralph Shearer Northam is an American physician and former politician who served as the 73rd governor of Virginia from 2018 to 2022. A pediatric neurologist by occupation, he was an officer in the U.S. Army Medical Corps from 1984 to 1992. A member of the Democratic Party, he served as the 40th lieutenant governor of Virginia from 2014 to 2018 before winning the governorship against the Republican…
Text from Wikipedia, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
science · Governor of Virginia from 2018 to 2022 · military physician · politician · neurologist · physician · writer · governor · also Ralph Northam, Ralph Shearer Northam, Northam
Born 13 September 1959 · Q7287916
95 published statements · 0 followers
See & hear
5 photos
Media from Wikimedia Commons, hotlinked at the source under its own licence — see each file for author and terms.
Live now
Pulling headlines from trusted outlets — this usually takes a few seconds
Checking the wires…
Feed scan
These are live links, not archived citations — they only join the timeline once a collect run verifies and archives them.
Live pulse
Most recent outstanding titles, awards, and quotes
“[I]f Donald Trump is helping Virginia, I”
Text from Wikipedia, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
“What I do in church translates to what I do in everyday life. Whether it”
Text from Wikipedia, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
“proud to break a tie when Republicans tried to scapegoat immigrants for political gain”
Text from Wikipedia, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
“I think a lot of us need to understand that concept a lot better and this needs to start with the education of our children. Black oppression is alive and well today, it”
Text from Wikipedia, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
“s parole ban had exacerbated the state”
Text from Wikipedia, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
“While we will continue to hold people accountable for their actions, it”
Text from Wikipedia, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
“The infant would be resuscitated if that”
Text from Wikipedia, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
“ensure the voices of all Virginians are heard, particularly those from underrepresented and historically disenfranchised communities.”
Text from Wikipedia, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
“The news that my ancestors owned slaves disturbs and saddens me, but the topic of slavery has always bothered me. My family”
Text from Wikipedia, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Snopes.com rated the claim “Former Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam "stated he would execute a baby after birth."” False.
Shown as reported and rated by a fact checker, not as an established fact.
AP News rated the claim “A video shows Virginia Governor Ralph Northam during a 2019 radio interview speaking in support of infanticide, or “after-birth abortions.”” False.
Shown as reported and rated by a fact checker, not as an established fact.
Yahoo: Gov. Ralph Northam Says He Is '99% Sure' Who's in Blackface in Racist Photo That Rocked Va. Politics
Signed a law abolishing the death penalty in Virginia
Text from Wikipedia, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
A federal indictment against six men associated with the Wolverine Watchmen, a Michigan-based militia group, was unsealed
Text from Wikipedia, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Northam declared a state of emergency in response to the COVID-19 pandemic
Text from Wikipedia, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Northam signed a bill making Virginia the fourth US state and first southern state to ban racial hair discrimination
Text from Wikipedia, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
After Democrats won control of the Virginia state legislature, Northam signed a bill raising the felony larceny threshold to $1000
Text from Wikipedia, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Northam signed legislation repealing three Virginia laws that courts had already ruled to be unconstitutional: a law prohibiting the possession, consumption, or purchase of alcohol by anyone that a court rules to be a "h
Text from Wikipedia, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Northam signed bipartisan legislation making all Virginia inmates convicted as juveniles eligible for parole after serving twenty years of their sentences
Text from Wikipedia, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
FactCheck.org rated the claim “Meme quotes Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam as saying, “The infant Would be Delivered, kept Comfortable Then terminated.”” Not His Quote.
Shown as reported and rated by a fact checker, not as an established fact.
Northam signed a law banning the tethering of animals in extreme weather or temperatures (except for when an animal control officer determines that a tethered animal can safely tolerate such conditions); this law also re
Text from Wikipedia, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
And was signed by Northam: it allows private laboratories to test DNA evidence when the Virginia Department of Forensic Science is unable to do so
Text from Wikipedia, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Allows judges to dismiss misdemeanor or non-violent felony charges against defendants with autism or an intellectual disability when the court determines that the defendant's criminal conduct was linked to such a disorde
Text from Wikipedia, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
“s Monument Avenue in response to Black Lives Matter protests after the murder of George Floyd. Criminal justice Felony larceny threshold After Northam was elected governor, The Washington Post identified an opportunity for bipartisan legislation in raising Virginia”
Text from Wikipedia, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Virginia's legislature considered, but did not pass, a bill backed by Northam that would have created two additional categories of inmates eligible for geriatric release: those older than fifty-five who have served at le
Text from Wikipedia, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Included an eighth bill that did not pass: it would have banned assault weapons, high-capacity magazines, trigger activators, and silencers
Text from Wikipedia, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Eases the petition process for writs of actual innocence
Text from Wikipedia, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Mark Levine, who introduced the bill to repeal the law, explained that 21st-century fornication charges generally resulted from plea deals or from instances in which the defendants were already charged with other crimes
Text from Wikipedia, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Although legislation signed by Northam that year reinstated parole in limited circumstances
Text from Wikipedia, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Northam signed the Virginia Community Policing Act, which bans the practice of bias-based profiling by Virginia police officers and requires those officers to collect demographic information during all traffic stops or i
Text from Wikipedia, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Allows property owners to have the covenants removed without the need of an attorney
Text from Wikipedia, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Established a process for the removal of racially exclusionary housing covenants from property deeds in Virginia; these covenants had been widely adopted throughout the United States in the early-twentieth century for th
Text from Wikipedia, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Establishing a separate commission tasked with studying the impacts of slavery and discrimination in Virginia
Text from Wikipedia, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Northam signed a law revising this to fifteen feet or four times the animal's length, whichever is greater
Text from Wikipedia, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Ban dealers and commercial breeders in Virginia from selling or importing any dog bred by any person who has committed certain violations of the Animal Welfare Act; ban any sale or loan in which a default could result in
Text from Wikipedia, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Tasked the Virginia Board of Agriculture and Consumer Services with establishing new state regulations for pet stores
Text from Wikipedia, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Snopes.com rated the claim “Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam said the National Guard would cut power and communications before killing anyone who didn't comply with new gun legislation.” False.
Shown as reported and rated by a fact checker, not as an established fact.
PolitiFact rated the claim “Says Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam said, ‘You will give up your guns, if you don’t I’ll have the National Guard cut your power, your phone lines, and your internet. Then, if you still refuse to comply I’ll have you killed.’"” Pants on Fire.
Shown as reported and rated by a fact checker, not as an established fact.
PolitiFact rated the claim “Says Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam is planning to cut off the electricity "so Virginia residents cannot reveal what is happening once gun confiscation begins to take place."” Pants on Fire.
Shown as reported and rated by a fact checker, not as an established fact.
AP News rated the claim “Virginia Democratic Gov. Ralph Northam has declared it illegal for minors to participate in hunting season.” False.
Shown as reported and rated by a fact checker, not as an established fact.
Saying: "We could not conclusively determine the identity of either individual depicted in the photograph
Text from Wikipedia, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Northam signed a bill, introduced by the chairman of Virginia's Legislative Black Caucus, Lamont Bagby, establishing the Virginia African American Advisory Board; this board is designed to consist of twenty-one non-legis
Text from Wikipedia, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Northam signed a bill repealing a minimum wage exemption that had applied to several jobs historically associated with black workers; a remnant of the Jim Crow era, the exemption had applied to shoe-shiners, ushers, door
Text from Wikipedia, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Northam signed a bipartisan bill raising the smoking age in Virginia from 18 to 21
Text from Wikipedia, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
jezebel: Ralph Northam Learns He Is White
wdef.com: Ralph Northam said racist photo controversy happened for “a reason”
PolitiFact rated the claim ““Racist picture of Democrat North Carolina Governor Roy Cooper emerges just days after he called on Ralph Northam to resign – DAILY MAIL.”” Pants on Fire.
Shown as reported and rated by a fact checker, not as an established fact.
CBS News: Ralph Northam
LAist: Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam's Yearbook Page Shows Men In Blackface And KKK Robes
Images from Northam's medical school yearbook were published on the far-right website Big League Politics
Text from Wikipedia, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Changes this to at least ten feet or three times the animal's length, whichever is greater
Text from Wikipedia, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Vetoed a bill that would have prohibited Virginia from entering into the initiative, but in May 2019, he chose not to veto language in the state budget that prohibits spending related to the initiative, because under
Text from Wikipedia, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Northam signed a law classifying the physical abuse of cats and dogs as a felony in Virginia; previously, such abuse had been classified as a misdemeanor in Virginia, unless it resulted in an animal's death; it was not u
Text from Wikipedia, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Add requirements for the proper sheltering and tethering of animals and provide animal control officers the authority to confiscate tethered roosters that have been involved in cockfighting
Text from Wikipedia, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Career landmark: Governor of Virginia (2018–2022).
Text from Wikipedia, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Northam signed a law requiring that products developed in Virginia use non-animal based testing methods whenever possible; when such methods are not possible, the law requires that the number of animals used in testing b
Text from Wikipedia, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Northam formed a commission to study the possibility of offering child care to state employees in Richmond
Text from Wikipedia, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
In 2018, Northam formed a commission to study the possibility of offering child care to state employees in Richmond.
Text from Wikipedia, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Defeating Ed Gillespie in the general election with a larger-than-expected nine-point margin of victory
Text from Wikipedia, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Published video “Accomplish”.
Published video “Vote Tuesday”.
Published video “Standing”.
Published video “Fear mongering”.
Published video “A Bunch of Baloney”.
Published video “Specific”.
Published video “Edmarc”.
Published video “You Can't Sit This One Out”.
Published video “Restore”.
Published video “Highlights from Vice President Joe Biden's Visit to Virginia”.
The Washington Post rated the claim “Ralph "Northam cast the deciding vote in favor of sanctuary cities that let illegal immigrants who commit crimes back on the street."” Four Pinocchios.
Shown as reported and rated by a fact checker, not as an established fact.
Claimed: “Ed Gillespie "didn’t care about our workers when he lobbied for companies sending jobs overseas or when he fought to give billions to Wall Street banks."” — rated Four Pinocchios by The Washington Post.
Shown as reported and rated by a fact checker, not as an established fact.
FactCheck.org rated the claim “Virginia Lt. Gov. Ralph Northam was the “deciding vote” in “favor of sanctuary cities that let dangerous illegal immigrants back on the streets.”” Misleading.
Shown as reported and rated by a fact checker, not as an established fact.
FactCheck.org rated the claim “Ralph Northam “skipped 58% of the meetings at Virginia’s economic development agency."” Not the Whole Story.
Shown as reported and rated by a fact checker, not as an established fact.
Northam won the Democratic nomination with 56% of the vote to Perriello's 44%
Text from Wikipedia, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
“should be taken down and moved into museums”
Text from Wikipedia, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Wrote on Twitter that the organization had discredited itself and called its decision to stop aiding Northam's campaign "incredibly stupid"
Text from Wikipedia, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Career landmark: Lieutenant Governor of Virginia (2014–2018).
Text from Wikipedia, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
The Virginian-Pilot reported that small numbers of people continued to be convicted of fornication in Virginia even after the aforementioned 2005 ruling
Text from Wikipedia, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Northam broke a tie in the Virginia state Senate, passing a bill that would have increased the state's minimum wage by increments
Text from Wikipedia, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Northam was elected as Virginia's 40th Lieutenant Governor over Republican E
Text from Wikipedia, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Northam won the Democratic primary over Chopra with 54% of the vote to Chopra's 46%
Text from Wikipedia, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
“being fair with those who have served our country.”
Text from Wikipedia, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Under then-governor Bob McDonnell; it had originally been passed in 1993 under then-governor Douglas Wilder
Text from Wikipedia, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Northam – a self-described "conservative on fiscal issues and liberal on social issues" – was the subject of an attempt by state Senate Republicans to get him to switch parties
Text from Wikipedia, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
“Politically, there was no question, I was underinformed.”
Text from Wikipedia, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Defeated Nick Rerras, a two-term Republican incumbent, 17,307 votes to 14,499
Text from Wikipedia, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
In the 6th Senate district, which includes the Eastern Shore of Virginia; Mathews County, on the Middle Peninsula; and parts of the cities of Norfolk and Virginia Beach
Text from Wikipedia, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Newly available evidence is examined, and if found exonerating by a court, the petitioner's criminal record is expunged
Text from Wikipedia, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
To be elected Lieutenant Governor of Virginia
Text from Wikipedia, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
It did so as part of a larger "truth in sentencing" initiative that also capped at fifteen percent the amount of time inmates could earn off their sentences through good behavior
Text from Wikipedia, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
At the rank of major, after having completed eight years of service
Text from Wikipedia, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Studied at Eastern Virginia Medical School (1984).
Text from Wikipedia, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Where he served as president of VMI's honor court and received a bachelor's degree in biology
Text from Wikipedia, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Virginia's ban on public profanity continued to be enforced in rare instances up until the law was repealed in 2020
Text from Wikipedia, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Born 1959-09-13.
Text from Wikipedia, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Connections