May 3 :
The first Muslim to hold a Senate seat in Virginia and the first Indian American to do so have both announced their intentions to seek the office of lieutenant governor. In her inaugural campaign fundraising email blast, Ghazala Hashmi declared her intention to make history once more and urged her supporters to join her. In the 2025 elections for that position, she hopes to get the support of the Democratic Party. Winsome Sears, a Republican, was elected to the position of lieutenant governor of Virginia in 2021. Virginia has off-year elections for this office, therefore the next election will be on November 4, 2025.
The inauguration of former President Donald Trump, according to Hashmi, prompted her to leave her career as a teacher and enter politics and public service. running for office was never in my wildest dreams when I was a teacher. Starting in 2019, her goal was to "give voice to the voiceless" by running for public office. When it came to this match, we were the underdogs. The Republican strategy was ripped from the MAGA playbook. The reason we were able to turn that seat from red to blue was because to our community-centered campaign, which allowed us to make history. With over 54% of the vote, she defeated Republican Glen Sturtevant, who received 45.8%.
Her ability to rally support and defeat the incumbent Republican in the Senate election for District 15 was a testament to her political acumen. In addition to guaranteeing a Democratic trifecta for the following two years, it handed the Democrats a one-seat majority in the Senate. Hashmi prevailed with a substantial 62.2% of the vote against her Republican challenger in her 2023 re-election to the State Senate. Her appointment as chair of the Senate Education and Health Committee was made official in 2024 by Senate Democrats. Hashmi has already announced her plans, even though her current term doesn't finish until January 12, 2028.
She goes on to say that she is running for lieutenant governor based on her track record of legislation that promotes social justice and inclusive ideals. Public education, voting rights, reproductive freedom, housing, affordable healthcare access, the environment, and the avoidance of gun violence are among her legislative objectives, according to her.
Hashmi faces competition for the position of lieutenant governor from other Democratic colleagues. As reported by 12onyourside.com, among them are Senator Aaron Rouse, Mayor Levar Stoney of Richmond, and Babur Lateef, who has not yet announced his position as Chairman of the Prince William County School Board.
Hashmi relocated to Georgia to live with her father, who was finishing up a doctorate in international relations and starting a teaching career at the university level. She was four years old when she and her mother and older brother travelled to the United States from India.
According to her background on the campaign website ghazalaforvirginia.com, Ghazala grew up in that small college town during the desegregation of public schools. Hashmi received valedictorian honours from Georgia Southern University and a BA with honours from Emory University in Atlanta, where she also received numerous full scholarships and fellowships. She went on to get a PhD in American literature.
After marrying Azhar in 1991, Ghazala settled in the Richmond area and taught for nearly 30 years, initially at the University of Richmond and subsequently at Reynolds Community College. She co-founded Reynolds's Centre for Excellence in Teaching and Learning (CETL) and was its first director. Two of the couple's daughters, now adults, are University of Virginia and Chesterfield County Public School grads.
