Ralph Northam

Mr. Northam handily defeated Tom Perriello, a former congressman, who entered the primary race unexpectedly at the start of the year and mounted an aggressive insurgent campaign that upset the state’s Democratic establishment. But the threat roused Mr. Northam, 57, a mild-mannered physician and an Army veteran from the state’s Eastern Shore. Ralph Northam attended Virginia Military Institute where he graduated with distinction and was President of the Honor Court. After then graduating from Eastern Virginia Medical School, Ralph served eight years active duty in the United States Army, rising to the rank of Major. Upon his return from treating soldiers injured in Desert Storm, Ralph began practicing pediatric neurology at Children's Hospital of the King's Daughters in Norfolk. Ralph also serves as Assistant Professor of Neurology at Eastern Virginia Medical School and has seventeen years of volunteer service as Medical Director for the Edmarc Hospice for Children in Portsmouth. As a State Senator from 2008-2013, Ralph scored numerous major legislative accomplishments, including the prohibition on smoking in restaurants, protecting young athletes who have sustained concussions, improving the health of the Chesapeake Bay, and shielding our first responders from communicable diseases. Ralph Northam was elected Lieutenant Governor on November 5, 2013. Ralph lives in Norfolk with his wife Pam, a long-time Elementary School teacher who currently works for the local conservation organization Lynnhaven River NOW. They have two children: Wes, a neurosurgical resident at the University of North Carolina, and Aubrey, a graduate of the University of Virginia, who works in communications in Hampton Roads.