(Philip Bump/The Washington Post)Let’s start with the (for now) more likely branch: Fairfax resigns. If he does, Northam can appoint a new lieutenant governor, who will serve until a special election this November. That succession system might be determined (by a court, presumably) to hold more weight than Northam’s handpicked lieutenant governor, and Herring would, again, be appointed governor. If we go back to the top, we see that the branch in which Northam resigns first looks much the same as the one if Fairfax resigns first. It all comes down to where the series of resignations stops — and if the appointed lieutenant governor can pass constitutional muster.

Source: Washington Post February 09, 2019 19:07 UTC