Fairfax was preparing for Northam to resign , even going so far as to notify family that as the next man in the line of succession he was about to replace Northam as governor , when Big League Politics reported on February 3 that Fairfax had been accused by Vanessa C. Tyson , an associate professor at Scripps College and fellow at Stanford University , of sexual assault at a hotel at the 2004 Democratic National Convention in Boston . Fairfax denied the accusation , saying his encounter with Tyson was consensual and the timing of the reports was intended to smear him as he was about to ascend to the governorship . Fairfax also insinuated that supporters of Northam , or someone connected with Richmond mayor Levar Stoney , a potential political rival since both were speculated as possible Democratic candidates for governor in 2021 , may have been behind the allegation going public . A few days later , Tyson released a statement publicly detailing her allegations . Tyson said she is a Democrat with no political agenda and felt compelled to release the statement because Fairfax " has tried to brand me as a liar to a national audience , in service to his political ambitions , and has threatened litigation . " On February 8 , a second woman , Meredith Watson , came forward with sexual assault allegations against Fairfax , alleging that he raped her in a " premeditated and aggressive " attack in 2000 when both were undergraduate students at Duke University . The second accusation led to a cascade of calls from fellow Democrats from Virginia and around the country for Fairfax to resign . Delegate Patrick Hope , a Democrat , said he would initiate impeachment proceedings against Fairfax if he did not resign within three days , but backed off the threat amid concerns from fellow Democrat state legislators
2004 Democratic National Convention
2004 Democratic National Convention
2019 Virginia political crisis