6 months ago
2
India-born American person Ghazala Hashmi has been elected arsenic Virginia’s Lieutenant Governor, becoming the archetypal Muslim and South Asian American to beryllium elected to the apical governmental station successful the State.
Ms. Hashmi, 61, a Democrat secured 1,465,634 votes (54.2%), mode up of her Republican rival John Reid, who secured 1,232,242 votes, with 79% of the votes in.
The Virginia State Senator, who emerged victorious connected Election Day connected Tuesday (November 4, 2025), was among the implicit 30 Indian-Americans and South Asian candidates moving for bureau for cardinal nationwide positions successful the 2025 elections.
Ms. Hashmi’s predetermination was among the most-closely watched arsenic she was successful the fray for the apical State post.
Ms. Hashmi is the archetypal Muslim and the archetypal South Asian American to service successful the Virginia Senate.
“As an experienced pedagogue and advocator of inclusive values and societal justice, her legislative priorities see nationalist education, voting rights and the preservation of democracy, reproductive freedom, weapon unit prevention, the environment, lodging and affordable healthcare access,” her authoritative illustration said.
Community organisation The Indian American Impact Fund congratulated Ms. Hashmi connected her historical triumph successful the General Election for Virginia’s Lieutenant Governor.
As portion of its committedness to electing barrier-breaking leaders, Impact said it had invested $1,75,000 successful Ms. Hashmi’s run to mobilise voters and fortify practice astatine each level of government.
Executive Director of the Indian American Impact Fund Chintan Patel described Ms. Hashmi’s triumph arsenic a landmark infinitesimal for the community, Commonwealth and democracy.
“An immigrant, pedagogue and tireless advocate, she has dedicated her beingness to expanding accidental and delivering results for moving families crossed Virginia. From reproductive state and affordable healthcare to nationalist acquisition and lodging equity, Ghazala Hashmi has led connected the issues that substance astir to Virginians,” Mr. Patel said.
Ms. Hashmi was archetypal elected to bureau successful November 2019, upsetting the Republican incumbent and delivering the bulk to Democrats for the archetypal clip successful years and shocking the governmental establishment.
Indian American Impact Fund noted that Ms. Hashmi had made past successful 2019 with her victory, flipping the Republican-held spot to assistance Democrats instrumentality power of the State Senate.
“Tonight she’s made past again arsenic Virginia’s archetypal South Asian American and Muslim Lieutenant Governor. Impact was arrogant to enactment her from the precise opening due to the fact that we knew what was astatine stake: protecting our rights, defending our communities from MAGA extremism, and expanding accidental for each who telephone Virginia home.” In 2024, Ms. Hashmi was named Chair of the Senate Education and Health Committee. As a State Senator, Ms. Ghazala has dedicated her efforts to improving the lives of others, focusing connected issues of inequity successful housing, education, wellness care, biology justness and overmuch more.
Ms. Hashmi was 4 years aged erstwhile she emigrated to the U.S. with her parent and older member from India, joining her begetter successful Georgia wherever helium was pursuing his PhD successful planetary relations and opening his assemblage teaching career.
She grew up successful that tiny assemblage town, astatine a clip erstwhile nationalist schools were being desegregated, and truthful she saw firsthand however communities tin beryllium built and dialog promoted done intentional efforts to span cultural, racial, and socioeconomic divides, her run said.
After graduating arsenic valedictorian of her precocious schoolhouse people and receiving aggregate afloat scholarships and fellowships, Hashmi earned a BA with honours from Georgia Southern University and her PhD successful American lit from Emory University successful Atlanta.
Ms. Hashmi and her husband, Azhar, moved arsenic newlyweds to the Richmond country successful 1991, and she spent astir 30 years arsenic a professor, archetypal teaching astatine the University of Richmond and past astatine Reynolds Community College.
While astatine Reynolds, she besides served arsenic the Founding Director of the Centre for Excellence successful Teaching and Learning (CETL).
