Indian-American Democrat Ghazal Hashmi won Virginia lieutenant governor's race on Tuesday.
Hashmi entered politics in 2019 and was elected to the Virginia General Assembly.
Born in Hyderabad in 1964, she emigrated to the US when she was four.
Indian-American Ghazala Hashmi Wins Virginia Lieutenant Governor Race
Hashmi will now preside over the Virginia state senate where Democrats hold a slim 21-19 majority.
Summary
Indian-American Democrat Ghazal Hashmi won Virginia lieutenant governor's race on Tuesday, defeating Republican John Reid. She became the first Indian-American and first Muslim candidate to win statewide office in Virginia.
Hashmi entered politics in 2019 and was elected to the Virginia General Assembly. In 2024, she was named Chair of the Senate Education and Health Committee, a critical leadership post for two critical Democratic priorities, reproductive freedom and public education.
Hashmi will now preside over the Virginia state senate where Democrats hold a slim 21-19 majority. As the Lieutenant Governor, she will vote when there is a tie in the senate. Her victory also means that her seat will have to be filled in a special election.
Born in Hyderabad in 1964, she emigrated to the US when she was four. She earned a BA with honors from Georgia Southern University and PhD in American literature from Emory University in Atlanta. She later moved to the Richmond area with her husband in 1991.
Along with her, former congresswoman Abigail Spanberger defeated Republican lieutenant governor Winsome Earle-Sears. Virginia was one of two states, along with New Jersey, where voters were picking a governor on Tuesday.
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