Note: The photo in question is included in the bottom half of this article.

WASHINGTON – Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam apologized on Friday after acknowledging he was one of the two people in racist a photo that appeared in his medical school yearbook, showing a man dressed in blackface and another person wearing a Ku Klux Klan robe and hood.

The photo caused an instant firestorm encircling Northam and leading to loud, bipartisan calls for his immediate resignation, something Northam appeared to resist on Friday.

"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.

He vowed to push forward and work to mend the damage he'd caused.

"This behavior is not in keeping with who I am today and the values I have fought for throughout my career in the military, in medicine, and in public service," Northam said. "But I want to be clear, I understand how this decision shakes Virginians' faith in that commitment."

The photo was one of several listed on Northam's medical school yearbook page from Eastern Virginia Medical School from the year he graduated in 1984. The school confirmed the photo's authenticity and provided a copy of the page to USA TODAY.

"We can confirm that the picture in question does appear in a 1984 student-produced publication," the school said in a statement to USA TODAY.

It was first discovered Friday afternoon by conservative news outlet Big League Politics.

After his statement, Northam tweeted a video apology saying that the "racist" photo "doesn't reflect" the person he is today.

The yearbook page shows several photos, including of the future Democratic governor posing with a sports car, another of him in a cowboy hat and a third of him in a suit.

A fourth photo shows two people holding a drink. One is a man wearing plaid pants, a suit with a bowtie and a hat. His face is painted black.

The second person is wearing a full white Ku Klux Klan robe, complete with a tall hood and holes cut out for the person's eyes and mouth.

While Northam, who leads a state that less than two years ago was at the epicenter of racial and anti-semitic tensions during the deadly Unite the Right rally, confirmed he was in the photo, it's unclear which costume he is wearing.

Under the photo, lists Northam's interest in pediatrics and a quote.

"There are more old drunks than old doctors in this world, so I think I'll have another beer," the quote says.

A second photo was later unearthed Friday, this one from Northam's time at the Virginia Military Institute, which makes its yearbooks available online.

Page 90 of the 1981 edition shows the nicknames "Goose" and "Coonman" underneath Northam's school photo. Northam has yet to address the VMI yearbook.

Northam's apologies did not appear to be enough for many as a growing chorus of both Democrats and Republicans have started calling for Northam's resignation.

"Racism has no place in Virginia," said Jack Wilson, chairman of the Republican Party of Virginia. "These pictures are wholly inappropriate. If Governor Northam appeared in blackface or dressed in a KKK robe, he should resign immediately."

The photos spread like wildfire on social media, each share eroding what appeared to be a bright political future for Northam. Republicans and Democrats, including some presidential contenders in the 2020 race, joined together to call for his resignation.

"It doesn’t matter if he is a Republican or a Democrat. This behavior was racist and unconscionable. Governor Northam should resign," Julian Castro, a Democrat running for president, wrote on Twitter.

Sen. Kamala Harris, another Democrat running in 2020, agreed.

"Leaders are called to a higher standard, and the stain of racism should have no place in the halls of government," she wrote on Twitter. "The Governor of Virginia should step aside so the public can heal and move forward together.

Organizations and groups, such as the NAACP and Planned Parenthood also chimed in, asking that Northam step down.

"There is no place for Gov. Ralph Northam's racist actions or language," said Leana Wen, Planned Parenthood's president. "He must step down as Governor."

Sen. Tim Scott, a Republican from South Carolina who recently spoke out against Rep. Steve King's remarks about white supremacism, also denounced Northam's yearbook fiasco.

"To be clear, while a quick apology is good, it does not excuse the choices made by @GovernorVA as an adult enrolled in medical school," Scott wrote on Twitter. "The people of VA will make their voices heard;cI hope they will shout far & wide that there are consequences for such showcases of prejudice & hate."

The revelation of the yearbook photo comes at a particularly partisan time in Virginia. The state has been battling over a Democratic-led bill that would loosen restrictions on late-term abortions, allowing a woman to get an abortion well into the third trimester if the mother was physically or mentally at risk.

This week the bill failed to be voted out of committee but the uproar hasn't stopped.

On Wednesday, Northam voiced support for the bill, telling local radio station WTOP that third-trimester abortions were rare.

When asked whether the bill would allow a mother to abort a pregnancy even if she was about to, or in the early stages of giving birth, Northam said yes and explained how it would be handled.

If a woman is in labor, "the infant would be delivered. The infant would be kept comfortable. The infant would be resuscitated if that’s what the mother and the family desired, and then a discussion would ensue between the physicians & mother," Northam said, arguing that the government shouldn't be involved in these types of decisions and should be left up to women and physicians.

Northam's comments sparked more controversy with Republicans arguing the governor was advocating for infanticide.

Northam, who previously served as lieutenant governor for Gov. Terry McAuliffe, ran for governor in 2017 in the aftermath of the white nationalist rallies in Charlottesville, which left one woman dead and several injured after a car plowed into a crowd of counterprotesters.

The rally drew neo-Nazis and members of the alt-right, many of whom carried Confederate flags or wore clothing with Nazi or KKK insignias.

The race was one of Virginia's most racially charged in recent memory and ended with Northam beating Republican Ed Gillespie. Voters were peppered with ads about the Charlottesville unrest.

Many of Northam's attack ads focused on Gillespie's lobbying efforts but one mailer sought to compare Gillespie with the white nationalists who rallied in the city. The mailer, which included a photo of Gillespie and white nationalists, said the election was a chance to "stand up... to hate."

Contributing: Associated Press