Governor Ralph Northam announced Thursday that he is endorsing his predecessor Former Governor Terry McAuliffe in the Virginia Gubernatorial race.

Northam is unable to seek reelection due to the Virginia Consitution, which dictates that a governor cannot serve two consecutive terms. He announced his support for McAuliffe saying that the former governor’s previous experience in the role makes him qualified for another term.

“Terry’s strong record of delivering for Virginians is exactly why we need him as our next governor,” Northam said in a statement to The Associated Press prior to his formal announcement. “We will need bold leadership ready to build a more equitable post-COVID economy that creates jobs, invests in workers, ensures equitable access to quality affordable health care, and rebuilds Virginia’s thriving network of small businesses.”

Northam, who served as Lt. Governor under McAuliffe, was first elected in 2017 and has had a turbulent term as Governor. When a leaked photo from Northam’s yearbook at Eastern Virginia Medical School appeared to show him wearing blackface, he was forced to apologize. He later recanted that apology and said that the photo was not of him but admitted to wearing blackface on a separate occasion. This prompted several officials to call for his resignation, but he ignored them in favor of finishing his term as governor.

This endorsement follows McAuliffe’s announcement of more than forty endorsements from Black leaders across the state.

The Democratic Primary includes Lt. Governor Justin Fairfax, Fmr. Delegate Jennifer Carroll Foy, State Senator Jennifer McClellan, and Delegate Lee Carter.

If re-elected, McAuliffe would be the first governor to serve two terms since Mills Godwin from 1966 to 1970 and from 1974 to 1978.