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I believe Dr. Vanessa Tyson.

I believe Meredith Watson.

And I believe Lieutenant Governor Justin Fairfax must resign.

— Rep. Jennifer Wexton (@RepWexton) February 8, 2019

A number of 2020 Democratic presidential candidates, including Booker and Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand, released statements on Twitter Friday evening calling on Fairfax to step down.

The multiple detailed allegations against the Lt. Gov. of Virginia are deeply troubling. They are serious, credible, and corroborated by others. It is no longer appropriate for him to serve. He should resign.

— Cory Booker (@CoryBooker) February 8, 2019

My statement below on Virginia Lt. Governor Justin Fairfax: pic.twitter.com/chu4oSdnbh

— Kirsten Gillibrand (@SenGillibrand) February 8, 2019

Sens. Kamala Harris, D-Calif., and Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., who are also positioning themselves as 2020 candidates, have called on Fairfax to step down, too.

The allegations by Dr. Vanessa Tyson and Meredith Watson are corroborated, painful stories of sexual assault and rape. It’s clear Virginia Lieutenant Governor Justin Fairfax should resign his office.

— Kamala Harris (@KamalaHarris) February 9, 2019

These credible and troubling allegations from Dr. Vanessa Tyson and Meredith Watson make it clear that Lt. Gov Fairfax should resign. My heart goes out to these brave women and their families.

— Elizabeth Warren (@ewarren) February 8, 2019

Virginia Democratic Sen. Tim Kaine, who was Hillary Clinton's running mate in the 2016 presidential election, also joined the calls for a resignation late Friday.

Lieutenant Governor Fairfax should resign. The allegations against him detail atrocious crimes, and he can no longer effectively serve the Commonwealth. We cannot ever ignore or tolerate sexual assault.

— Tim Kaine (@timkaine) February 9, 2019

In a joint statement released Friday, five Democratic members of the Virginia congressional delegation, Reps. Abigail Spanberger, Elaine Luria, Don Beyer, Gerry Connolly and Wexton all called on Fairfax to step down.

\"Lt. Governor Fairfax has also shown exceptionally poor judgment in his handling of these allegations. He repeatedly attacked his accuser, he reportedly used vile and degrading language to describe her, he mischaracterized an investigation into the encounter, and he sought to blame others for events in his own past. These actions do not meet the standard to which we hold Virginia’s highest elected officers,\" the statement read.

\"For these reasons, we believe that Justin Fairfax cannot continue to serve as Lt. Governor Of Virginia, and should step aside,\" they added.\"

Additionally, Rep. Donald McEachin called on Fairfax to step down.

Given recent developments, I believe that it is best for the Commonwealth of Virginia if Justin Fairfax dealt with these accusations as a private citizen. He can no longer serve us as the Lieutenant Governor of Virginia.

— Rep. Donald McEachin (@RepMcEachin) February 8, 2019

Virginia House of Delegates Member Patrick Hope, a Democrat, tweeted on Friday night that he will introduce articles of impeachment against Fairfax on Monday if he has not resigned by then.

On Monday, I will be introducing articles of impeachment for Lt. Governor Justin Fairfax if he has not resigned before then.

— Patrick Hope (@HopeforVirginia) February 8, 2019

It is unclear if Fairfax's actions will meet that threshold.

According to the Virginia State Constitution, \"The Governor, Lieutenant Governor, Attorney General, judges, members of the State Corporation Commission, and all officers appointed by the Governor or elected by the General Assembly, offending against the Commonwealth by malfeasance in office, corruption, neglect of duty, or other high crime or misdemeanor may be impeached by the House of Delegates and prosecuted before the Senate, which shall have the sole power to try impeachments.\"

The Republican Party of Virginia released a statement Friday calling for the claims of both Tyson and Watson to be \"investigated thoroughly.\"

This is the second serious sexual assault allegation leveled against the Lieutenant Gov. in the past week. As with with Dr. Tyson's allegation, it needs to be investigated thoroughly because it impacts his ability to continue to serve the Commonwealth.https://t.co/nHQkEpj5pE

— Virginia GOP (RPV) (@VA_GOP) February 8, 2019

The new questions about Fairfax come as the state's other top two elected officials, Gov. Ralph Northam and Attorney General Mark Herring, also Democrats, face controversies of their own.

Northam continues to remain in office despite near-universal calls for his resignation after a racist photo of a man in blackface and another in Ku Klux Klan robes appeared on his 1984 medical school yearbook page.

All eight major Democratic presidential candidates have called on Northam to step down.

State Attorney General Mark Herring meanwhile dropped another political bombshell on the state Wednesday, revealing in a statement that in 1980 he dressed up as rapper Kurtis Blow and wore \"brown makeup,\" to a college party.

\"In the days ahead, honest conversations and discussions will make it clear whether I can or should continue to serve as attorney general, but no matter where we go from here, I will say that from the bottom of my heart, I am deeply, deeply sorry for the pain that I cause with this revelation,\" Herring, who met Wednesday with African-American leaders in the Virginia state legislation, wrote in a statement.

In a statement released Thursday, the nine Democratic members of Virginia's congressional delegation released a statement saying Herring \"earnestly reached out\" to them to apologize and \"express his deep remorse.\"

The members reiterated their calls for Northam to resign and said the allegations against Fairfax \"need to be taken very seriously, and we respect the right of women to come forward and be heard.\"

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