Earlier this month, a national controversy broke out regarding old yearbook photos that seemed to show Gov. Ralph Northam of Virginia in blackface. Nearly as soon as the story broke, political leaders on both sides of the aisle called for his resignation. Even The Crimson White included an opinions column urging readers to support the effort to remove the governor. These efforts, though understandable and well-intentioned, are misguided.

Make no mistake, the governor’s actions were despicable and racist; every thesaurus result for “bad” applies to his behavior. He has been condemned by almost everyone, as he should be. But he should also be given a chance to redeem himself.

A political economy that lacks mercy and forgiveness also lacks any incentive for self-improvement. If sins from 35 years ago are unforgivable today, then only saints can serve as politicians – an irony given that these two categories are usually mutually exclusive.

Rather than casting stones at Northam as a sign of our own virtue, we should give him an opportunity to demonstrate that he has changed, that he is not the bigot the 35-year-old photograph might suggest.

There is precedence for this sort of political redemption. For example, President Lyndon B. Johnson is nearly universally criticized by people today for his tendency to use racial slurs. He is also nearly universally applauded for his administration’s efforts to pass monumental civil rights legislation, including the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and the Voting Rights Act of 1965.

To some extent, he overcame his personal flaws to fulfill the promises that he and President John F. Kennedy made to the American people. Northam should be given the same chance. If he fails, the people of Virginia, fewer than half of whom want him to resign according to a Washington Post Schar School poll, can vote him out if he runs for re-election.

It should be noted that I am not some offshoot of the “liberal media.” In fact, I am a conservative, and I stand against the most prominent parts of Northam’s agenda, especially his public support for partial- and post-birth abortions. I am not confident that he will succeed in his attempt at redemption, especially given the race-baiting advertisements he ran against his Republican opponent in the gubernatorial election.

Further, my party potentially stands to gain a lot if Northam resigns. The lieutenant governor, a Democrat, is embroiled in a sexual-assault controversy, and the Democratic attorney general, who would ascend to Northam’s position if the former two were to resign, has admitted to wearing blackface himself – after he called for Northam’s resignation for the same offense. Next in line if all three resign is a Republican with a clean record.

None of this changes the fact that we as a public should extend more mercy to our politicians; they make mistakes, too. Grant Northam a sort of social statute of limitations and let him demonstrate whether or not he has changed for the better.