At the same time as a mob of violent insurrectionists stormed the U.S. Capitol building in Washington, D.C., at the encouragement of President Donald Trump, Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam was speaking to the commonwealth about vaccine distribution.
It was a jarring juxtaposition, with Northam’s dulcet explanation about how his administration planned to ramp up vaccinations coming as the president released a video repeating his false and reckless claims about the 2020 election.
It was also a stark reminder about the importance of leadership, particularly executive leadership, in times of crisis — something Virginia should remember as it casts a wary eye toward November and the statewide elections set to take place this year.
Trump has long been an agent of chaos, something that appealed to voters in 2016 who elected him to shake things up in Washington. They wanted someone from outside the system, casting aside concerns about his rhetoric and temperament to hand him the highest office in the land.
The results, while not entirely predictable, are also not much of a surprise. And the violence which unfolded on Wednesday, like that which unfolded in Charlottesville nearly three years ago, earned no criticism from the leader of the free world.
Contrast that with Northam, who has endured his share of challenges, some external and some self-inflicted, since his 2017 election. The blackface photo scandal was the largest of his political crises, and saw numerous allies turn their backs on him and call for his resignation.
He persevered, promising to learn about racial injustice and be more sensitive to matters of race than he was as a medical student. He pledged to do better and followed through by making racial healing and equality a central theme of his administration.
Nobody expected that a year of his term would be consumed by a pandemic, but the pediatric surgeon was more than ready to meet that head on. There have been plenty of missteps along the way — Northam, like many governors, had no choice but to dive head-long into the uncertainty — but his steady leadership has helped Virginia minimize the harm inflicted by this virus.
In Northam, Virginia is fortunate to have a governor who cares, who listens and who learns from his mistakes with an earnest desire to do better. It is hard to find any of those qualities in the current White House occupant.
But soon, both will be gone — Trump as a result of his defeat at the hands of President-elect Joe Biden and Northam due to Virginia’s one-term limit on governors. In November, the commonwealth will elect a governor, lieutenant governor and attorney general in statewide elections, as well as all 100 members of the House of Delegates.
While no one would wish on those individuals the roller coaster ride of recent years, these jobs are, by their nature, unpredictable. Lawmakers may be duty-bound by only one relatively brief legislative session a year, but they cannot know what oddities or disasters might emerge on their watch.
Same for Virginia’s chief executive, who enjoys a scant four years in office, or the attorney general, who deals will all manner of issues in any given year. Every elected office promises some degree of uncertainty.
So it’s important that voters evaluate candidates with that in mind, thinking seriously about the type of individual they would trust in an emergency and who is best prepared to rise to a challenge that demands thoughtful, inspired and decisive leadership.
That may not be the only factor voters should weigh, but it should be among them. They should think about whether they want someone who will do what’s politically expedient or what’s morally right, what will advance their partisan interests or honor the people’s will.
What we’ve seen on display lately, certainly in recent days, puts those factors squarely in the spotlight and should give Virginia voters plenty to consider as the commonwealth winds its way toward fall and the pivotal elections this year.
