Justin Fairfax, the previous lieutenant governor of Virginia, was a “rising star” within the Democratic Celebration and seen as having the potential to make all of it the way in which to the White Home — till sexual assault allegations towards him sank his profession.
Fairfax, who killed his spouse after which shot himself inside their dwelling early Thursday within the throes of a “messy divorce,” was rising in politics as Barack Obama ascended the presidency. The younger black politician was anticipated to catapult in an analogous profession trajectory.
That was till two ladies got here ahead in 2019 — whereas he was serving as lieutenant governor — and accused him of sexual assault.
Vanessa Tyson, an affiliate professor at Scripps School and fellow at Stanford College, accused Fairfax of sexually assaulting her at a lodge on the 2004 Democratic Nationwide Conference in Boston, saying he pressured her to carry out oral intercourse.
Fairfax denied the accusation, saying his encounter with Tyson was consensual. He employed the identical authorized group that represented Supreme Courtroom nominee Brett Kavanaugh throughout his affirmation course of.
Then a second girl, Meredith Watson, got here ahead claiming Fairfax raped her in a “premeditated and aggressive” assault in 2000 once they have been each have been undergraduate college students at Duke College.
Fairfax additionally denied that allegation, saying “I’ve by no means pressured myself on anybody ever.”
He additionally questioned the timing of the accusations and claimed they have been half of a bigger conspiracy to power him out of workplace at a time it regarded like he may ascend to develop into governor of Virginia.
As a result of, as Fairfax was combating the allegations, the state’s then-Gov. Ralph Northam (D-Va.), was in his personal political disaster. A photograph was found in his medical faculty yearbook that confirmed an unidentified particular person in blackface and an unidentified particular person in a Ku Klux Klan hood.
Northam was accused of being the particular person in blackface. He instantly apologized for the picture however then later back-pedaled, saying he couldn’t keep in mind if it was him or not.
A months-long investigation couldn’t “conclusively” decide who was within the picture and even how the picture got here to be within the yearbook.
Northam, nonetheless, was below heavy stress to resign, together with by members of his personal occasion.
That might have elevated Fairfax to the governor’s mansion.
The allegations towards Fairfax appeared when Northam was below stress to step down.
Fairfax, who was known as a “rising star” within the Democratic Celebration, insinuated they have been a part of an effort by rival Democrats who needed the job and needed to power him to resign and finish his political profession.
He refused to resign. Northam additionally served out his time period as governor.
Finally, no prison expenses have been filed and no formal authorized discovering of wrongdoing was reached within the sexual assault expenses.
However the allegations destroyed Fairfax’s promising political profession.
He ran for governor in 2021, however completed fourth within the Democratic main with 3.54% of the vote.
Fairfax remained bitter in regards to the scenario. In 2022, he complained he could be governor if not for the allegations. He frequently denied them.
“There are some actual truth-tellers who reduce by the political sensationalism and what’s the fact,” Fairfax stated. “I might be the one African-American governor in the USA immediately had it not been for what now seems to be false allegations.”
“This resulted largely as a result of they needed to smear me. We’ve got a 400-year historical past of Black males being falsely accused. As soon as individuals discover out that it’s not true, it’s extraordinarily tough to get the politicians and the journalists to confess they have been fallacious,” he stated.
