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Embattled Gov. Ralph Northam picked up a measure of support on Tuesday as nine of his classmates from medical school said they do not believe he is in the “repugnant” photo on his 1984 yearbook page and that the man they knew did not engage in, or tolerate racism.

Also Tuesday, a Republican state senator who is a friend of the Democratic governor said Northam should have a chance to clear his name and to earn Virginians’ trust.

Northam said Friday that he was “deeply sorry for the decision I made” to appear in the yearbook photo that featured one man in blackface and another in Ku Klux Klan robes. On Saturday he walked back his comments, saying he was not in the photo.

Nine physicians who said they attended Eastern Virginia Medical School with Northam — a pediatric neurologist — began their statement Tuesday by saying they are “disgusted by the racist and abhorrent photo” that was published in their yearbook.

“We fully believe Gov. Ralph Northam is neither of the individuals in those repugnant costumes,” they wrote. “We attended classes with the governor. We socialized with him. We knew him very well. Together we took the Hippocratic Oath and vowed to provide care to anyone, no matter their background or the color of their skin.