Ghazala Hashmi becomes first Muslim woman elected to statewide office

Democrat Ghazala Hashmi defeated Republican John Reid in the race for Virginia’s lieutenant governor, becoming the first Muslim woman elected to statewide office in the United States. 

As of 8:30 p.m., Hashmi leads Reid by a margin of just over six points. Hashmi was first elected in 2019 as the first Muslim and South Asian American to serve in the Virginia Senate, ousting incumbent Republican Del. Glen Sturtevant, who eventually returned to the Virginia Senate in 2024. 

Hashmi immigrated to the U.S. from India when she was 4 years old and spent 30 years teaching at Reynolds Community College after a teaching stint at the University of Richmond. She beat Reid, a conservative talk show radio host who would have been the first openly gay Republican elected to statewide office. 

In October, Del. Jay Jones called on Reid to end his campaign after a report linked Reid to a social media account that engaged in pornographic material fetishizing slavery and Nazism.  

Hashmi’s campaign focused on reproductive freedom, gun violence protection and education as a few of her top goals, according to its website. Hashmi supports a ban on assault rifles and universal background checks and has pushed for budget amendments to support English language learners and students with disabilities. 

“As an educator, as a mother, as a State Senator, I’ve spent my life fighting for communities left behind,” Hashmi said on her website. “I’ve stood up to special interests, pushed for fully funded public schools, defended reproductive rights, and protected Medicaid expansion.”

Earlier this year, Hashmi proposed the Right to Contraception Act, which would bar state and local governments from preventing access to drugs and devices used for pregnancy prevention, including emergency contraception. As the newly elected lieutenant governor, Hashmi may be the tie-breaking vote in the Senate to pass the act. 

Hashmi held a close lead in the campaign’s final days and raised more than $8 million, compared to Reid’s final donations of just over $2 million, according to the Virginia Public Access Project's campaign finance. 

The majority of donations to Hashmi’s campaign stem from the Democratic Lieutenant Governors Association, which gave almost $1.3 million. Other top donors include the Clean Virginia Fund, Planned Parenthood and Everytown for Gun Safety. 

Contact news editor Ava Jenks at ava.humphries@richmond.edu

Contact news writer Grace Humphrey at grace.humphrey@richmond.edu