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Ralph Northam

Democrat, Virginia
Former Governor

Ralph Northam is an American Democratic politician and physician who served as a Major in the U.S. Army Medical Corps from 1984 to 1992. Northam currently serves as the 73rd Governor of Virginia, a position he has held since 2018 following time as the Lieutenant Governor for the state. Ralph Northam is 65 years old. Based on voting history, policy positions, and public statements, Ralph Northam demonstrates a Somewhat Left political bias. Compare Ralph Northam with other politicians in our Politician Bias Chart.

Analyst Rating
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Biasly’s analyst team evaluates politician twitter accounts, voting records, and statements made in the press to determine leanings. Our diverse analyst team includes equal representation from conservative, center, and liberal viewpoints on every article we rate.

Very Left

A.I. Policy Leanings
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Our policy leanings for Ralph Northam show what policies Ralph supports and opposes including Ralph's conservative and liberal leanings based on the news.

-12% Somewhat Left

Extremely
Liberal

Very
Liberal

Moderately
Liberal

Somewhat Liberal

Center

Somewhat Conservative

Moderately
Conservative

Very
Conservative

Extremely
Conservative

-100%
Liberal

100%
Conservative

*Our bias meter rating uses data science including sentiment analysis, machine learning and our proprietary algorithm for determining biases in news articles. Bias scores are on a scale of -100% to 100% with higher negative scores being more liberal and higher positive scores being more conservative and 0% being neutral. The rating is an independent analysis and is not affiliated nor sponsored by the news source or any other organization.

A.I. Media Portrayal
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The A.I. media portrayal of Ralph Northam shows how positively or negatively the media portrays Ralph. Negative and positive sentiment scores are on a scale of -100% to 100% with higher negative scores showing that more media companies see Ralph in a negative light and higher positive scores showing that more media companies see Ralph in a positive light.

51% negative

Ralph Northam’s Policy Stances:

Left
Center
Right
  • Criminal Justice
  • Economy
  • Education
  • Energy
  • Gov. Dependency
  • Healthcare
  • Immigration
  • National Security
  • Reduce Budget Deficit
  • War on Drugs
  • Criminal Justice
  • Economy
  • Education
  • Energy
  • Government Dependency
  • Healthcare
  • Immigration
  • National Security
  • Reduce Budget Deficit
  • War on Drugs
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  • Stances

  • Media Portrayal

  • Policy Leanings

  • News Mentions

  • Creations

  • My Articles

  • Contact

  • Criminal Justice

    Medium Left

    Based on the information provided, Ralph Northam appears to have a Somewhat Left to Medium Left policy leaning on criminal justice. He has signed several bills into law that advance police and criminal justice reform, such as banning no-knock warrants, limiting the use of neck restraints by law enforcement, and requiring officers to intervene when witnessing excessive force. Northam has also worked to make the criminal justice system more equitable, such as allowing terminally ill inmates to petition for conditional release and increasing earned sentencing credits. Overall, Northam's actions indicate a focus on reforming the criminal justice system to be more just and equitable.
    Source: Just Facts - Vote Smart

  • Economy

    Somewhat Left

    Based on the information provided, Ralph Northam's policy leaning on the economy appears to be Somewhat Left. He has supported increasing the minimum wage in Virginia, opposed a partial repeal of the car tax, and called for phasing out the grocery tax on low-income people. However, he has also called for bipartisan tax policy reform, indicating a more centrist approach. Overall, Northam seems to favor moderate economic policies that balance business interests with support for low-income individuals and families.
    Source: Wikipedia

  • Education

    Somewhat Left

    Based on the information provided, Ralph Northam's policy leaning on education appears to be Somewhat Left. He supports modernizing curriculum and instruction to focus on developing real-world skills like critical thinking and communication. He also wants to increase access to early childhood education and revise high school graduation requirements to include more career-focused experiences. However, he has faced criticism for suggesting that students from different backgrounds should be given different assessments, which could be seen as lowering expectations for some students. Overall, Northam seems to favor a more progressive approach to education reform.
    Source: Ed for Virginia

  • Energy

    Very Left

    Based on the information provided in the contexts, Ralph Northam has a Very Left policy leaning on energy. He has set ambitious, statewide goals to reduce the Commonwealth's carbon emissions and move the state's electricity to 30% renewable energy by 2030 and 100% carbon-free by 2050. Northam's executive order demonstrates strong support for clean energy and climate action, positioning him firmly on the liberal end of the policy spectrum.
    Source: ROUNDUP: Northam Announces 100% Carbon Free by 2050 - Virginia Conservation Network, n.d.

  • Government Dependency

    Somewhat Left

    Based on the information provided in the contexts, Ralph Northam appears to have a Somewhat Left leaning on government dependency policies. He supported expanding Medicaid in Virginia, which increased government-provided healthcare coverage. He also signed legislation to legalize recreational marijuana, reduce the felony theft threshold, and restore voting rights to former felons - all policies that reduce government control and increase individual liberty. However, he did compromise with Republicans on some issues, indicating a more centrist approach overall.
    Source: Wikipedia

  • Healthcare

    Medium Left

    Based on the information provided in the contexts, Ralph Northam has a liberal leaning on healthcare policies. He supports the Affordable Care Act ("Obamacare") and has worked to expand Medicaid coverage in Virginia. He has also proposed initiatives to address racial disparities in maternal and infant mortality rates. Overall, Northam's healthcare policies align with a Somewhat Left to Medium Left position on the conservative-liberal scale.
    Source: Wikipedia

  • Immigration

    Somewhat Left

    Based on the information provided, Ralph Northam has a Somewhat Left leaning on immigration policy. He opposed bills that would have prohibited "sanctuary cities" in Virginia, arguing that such policies would make communities less safe by discouraging immigrants from cooperating with law enforcement. Northam also supported providing driver's licenses to undocumented immigrants. While he stated a willingness to work with federal authorities on immigration enforcement, his overall stance appears to be more welcoming and inclusive of immigrant communities compared to a conservative approach.
    Source: acluva

  • National Security

    Somewhat Left

    Based on the information provided in the contexts, Ralph Northam's policy leaning on national security appears to be Somewhat Left. The contexts indicate that Northam served 8 years of active duty in the U.S. Army and rose to the rank of major, suggesting he has a military background. However, the contexts do not provide any specific details on Northam's policy positions or views related to national security. The information is limited, so I cannot make a more definitive assessment of his overall leaning on this issue.
    Source: Wikipedia

  • Reduce Budget Deficit

    Somewhat Left

    Based on the information provided in the contexts, Ralph Northam's policy leaning on reducing the budget deficit appears to be Somewhat Left. While he proposed measures to increase the state's reserve funds and pay down pension liabilities, he also advocated for new spending in areas like affordable housing, broadband expansion, and criminal justice reform. Northam sought to balance fiscal responsibility with continued investment in key priorities, rather than pursuing deep spending cuts. His approach aimed to address the budget shortfall while maintaining support for important public services.
    Source: Virginia Mercury

  • War on Drugs

    Very Left

    Based on the information provided, Ralph Northam has a Very Left policy leaning on the war on drugs. He supports the full legalization of marijuana, citing racial disparities in enforcement and the need for racial justice. He also opposes the current decriminalization proposals, arguing they do not go far enough to address the harms caused by the war on drugs to communities of color. Northam is committed to repealing the prohibition on marijuana possession and use completely, making it legal for adults without any civil or criminal penalties. (ACLU-VA Urges Gov. Northam to Stop The Harm Done to Communities of Color by the War on Drugs | ACLU of Virginia, n.d.)
    Source: acluva

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Our politician ratings are based on recent news using data science and A.I. technology. We analyze hundreds of articles published by news sources daily to determine politicians and policy leanings.