Former Housing and Urban Development Secretary and 2020 Democratic presidential candidate Julián Castro called on Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam (D) to resign after Northam acknowledged that he was in a photo that surfaced Friday featuring two men in blackface and Ku Klux Klan garb.

Castro in a tweet condemned Northam's behavior as "racist and unconscionable."

"It doesn’t matter if he is a Republican or a Democrat,” he wrote. “This behavior was racist and unconscionable. Governor Northam should resign.”

It doesn’t matter if he is a Republican or a Democrat. This behavior was racist and unconscionable. Governor Northam should resign. — Julián Castro (@JulianCastro) February 1, 2019

The photo obtained by The Virginian-Pilot on Friday came from the 1984 yearbook housed in the Eastern Virginia Medical School library. The yearbook page has Northam's full name at the top and features four photos, one of which depicts a man in blackface and another wearing a KKK robe.

BREAKING: Gov. Ralph Northam yearbook page shows blackface and Klan photohttps://t.co/6A89ejp5Ho — The Virginian-Pilot (@virginianpilot) February 1, 2019

Lawmakers from both parties quickly issued calls condemning Northam for the photo and urging him to step down.

ADVERTISEMENT

Northam issued a statement Friday acknowledging the photo and apologizing for it.

“I am deeply sorry for the decision I made to appear as I did in this photo and for the hurt that decision caused then and now,” Northam said in the statement.

He did not clarify which person he was in the photo.