“For much of its history, Virginia, the 'cradle of American democracy,' failed to live up to our ideals. All too often, our Commonwealth still treats whites by one set of standards and people of color by another.”

American physician and former politician

Ralph Northam is an American physician and former politician who served as governor of Virginia from 2018 to 2022. Born in 1959, he is a pediatric neurologist and a member of the Democratic Party. He also served as Virginia’s lieutenant governor before winning the governorship in 2017. Northam spent eight years as an officer in the U.S. Army Medical Corps, from 1984 to 1992. He is known for combining a medical career with public service in Virginia, first as lieutenant governor and then as governor, leaving office in January 2022 after serving a single term.