As Virginia voters head to the polls on Tuesday, State Senator Ghazala Hashmi stands on the verge of making U.S. political history. The 61-year-old Democrat is contesting for lieutenant governor, a win that would make her the first Muslim woman ever elected to statewide office in the country.
Hashmi faces a tough race against Republican John Reid, a former conservative talk radio host. Reid could also make history as the first openly gay Republican to win a statewide office in the United States.
The Virginia elections are already being hailed as historic, with voters also set to elect the state’s first woman governor. Former Democratic congresswoman Abigail Spanberger and Republican lieutenant governor Winsome Earle-Sears are competing for that landmark role.
In a Monday interview, Hashmi urged Virginians to choose leaders who would “push back against the chaos of Washington and Donald Trump.” She highlighted the economic strain caused by the federal government shutdown, which has heavily impacted Virginia’s workforce.
Born in Hyderabad, India, Hashmi was raised in Georgia after her family moved to the United States during her childhood. Her husband, Azhar Rafiq, hails from Karachi, Pakistan. In 2019, she became the first Indian American and Muslim woman elected to the Virginia Senate, marking a major breakthrough in state politics.
Her campaign focuses on public education, reproductive rights, gun safety, environmental protection, and affordable healthcare—issues she says resonate with Virginia’s working families.
If elected, Hashmi would not only make national history but also become only the second immigrant ever to hold a statewide office in Virginia, following Winsome Earle-Sears, who was born in Jamaica.
