New York Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez Alexandria Ocasio-CortezThe Memo: Dems face balancing act on SCOTUS fight Ocasio-Cortez hits back at Marjorie Taylor Greene over 'dumb blonde' joke on Twitter Ocasio-Cortez to voters: Tell McConnell 'he is playing with fire' with Ginsburg's seat MORE (D) joined the chorus of Democrats calling on Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam (D) to resign on Saturday after a photo of men wearing blackface and Ku Klux Klan robes was discovered to have been published on his medical school yearbook page.

Ocasio-Cortez called on Northam to resign Saturday evening following the governor's press conference hours earlier, during which Northam defied calls for his resignation even while admitting to wearing blackface in a Michael Jackson dance contest years earlier.

"Northam must resign, and those who try to help him stumble past this deserve scrutiny," the New York lawmaker tweeted.

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"If you can’t understand how painful + eroding this is to American society, let alone the state of Virginia, take some time to read up this weekend," she added.

Ocasio-Cortez suggested Northam read "Between the World and Me" by author Ta-Nehisi Coates, who interviewed the New York Democrat at an event commemorating Martin Luther King Jr. Day.

Northam must resign, and those who try to help him stumble past this deserve scrutiny.



If you can’t understand how painful + eroding this is to American society, let alone the state of Virginia, take some time to read up this weekend.



To start, try “Between the World and Me.” https://t.co/Fm0srrPZgN — Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (@AOC) February 2, 2019

Though not a member of Virginia's congressional delegation, Ocasio-Cortez's call for Northam's resignation will likely carry some weight solely due to her massive Twitter following, currently at 2.74 million, which dwarfs every other member of the House including Speaker Nancy Pelosi Nancy PelosiTrump puts Supreme Court fight at center of Ohio rally CDC causes new storm by pulling coronavirus guidance Overnight Health Care: CDC pulls revised guidance on coronavirus | Government watchdog finds supply shortages are harming US response | As virus pummels US, Europe sees its own spike MORE (D-Calif.), who has 2.17 million followers.

She joined dozens of other Democrats and left-leaning organizations calling for Northam's exit on Saturday, including 2016 presidential nominee Hillary Clinton Hillary Diane Rodham ClintonJoe Biden looks to expand election battleground into Trump country Biden leads Trump by 12 points among Catholic voters: poll The Hill's Campaign Report: Biden goes on offense MORE and both of Virginia's members of the U.S. Senate.

His lieutenant governor, Justin Fairfax, called on Northam to do what was best for the state in a statement Saturday night, while coming short of asking for his resignation.

“At this critical and defining moment in the history of Virginia and this nation, we need leaders with the ability to unite and help us rise to the better angels of our nature. I remain committed to serving and helping to heal the Commonwealth moving forward. Now more than ever, we must make decisions in the best interests of the people of the Commonwealth of Virginia," Fairfax wrote.