Ghazala Hashmi
Ghazala Hashmi | |
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Member of the Virginia Senate | |
Assumed office January 8, 2020 | |
Preceded by | Glen Sturtevant |
Constituency | 10th district (2020–2024) 15th district (2024–present) |
Personal details | |
Born | Ghazala Firdous Hashmi July 5, 1964 Hyderabad, India |
Political party | Democratic |
Spouse | Azhar Rafiq |
Children | 2 |
Education | Georgia Southern University (BA) Emory University (MA, PhD) |
Website | Campaign website |
Ghazala Firdous Hashmi (born July 5, 1964) is an Indian-born American politician serving as a Virginia state senator from the 15th district since 2020. A member of the Democratic Party, she previously worked as an educator and academic administrator before running for office.
Born in India and raised in Georgia, Hashmi graduated from Georgia Southern University with a bachelor's degree in English. In 2019, she was elected to the Virginia General Assembly and re-elected in 2023. Hashmi is the Democratic nominee in the 2025 Virginia lieutenant gubernatorial election. If elected, she would be the first Asian-American and Muslim to win statewide office in Virginia.[1]
Early life and education
[edit]Hashmi was born in Hyderabad, India, in 1964 to Tanveer and Zia Hashmi into a Hyderabadi family. She lived at her maternal grandparents' home in Malakpet during her childhood. Her maternal grandfather served in the finance department of the Government of Andhra Pradesh. Her family moved to the United States in 1969 when she was 4 years old and she grew up in Statesboro, Georgia.[2][3] Her father and uncle worked in Georgia Southern University’s political science department, where she attended the Marvin Pittman Laboratory School.[4]
Hashmi completed a B.A. in English at Georgia Southern University and earned a Ph.D. in English from Emory University.[5] Her 1992 dissertation was titled William Carlos Williams and the American ground of "In the American Grain" and "Paterson."[6] Peter Dowell was her doctoral advisor.[6]
Career
[edit]Hashmi was an educator and academic administrator for 25 years.[2] She was a visiting assistant professor at the University of Richmond and a professor at J. Sargeant Reynolds Community College, where she served as the founding director of the Center for Excellence in Teaching and Learning.[2]
Virginia State Senate
[edit]In the 2019 Virginia Senate election, Hashmi defeated incumbent Republican Glen Sturtevant in the 10th district, flipping the chamber to Democratic control. She is the first woman to represent the district and the first Muslim elected to the Senate of Virginia.[7] She was officially sworn into office on January 8, 2020.[8][9][10]
In 2023, she was re-elected with over 60% of the vote against Republican candidate Hayden Fisher in the redistricted 15th district. A legal challenge was filed shortly after claiming Hashmi did not meet the residency requirements to hold office, having established her residency at a rental apartment within the 15th district while her family home nearby was in a neighboring district.[11] A judge dismissed the lawsuit in early December.[12]
2025 Virginia lieutenant gubernatorial election
[edit]In May 2024, Hashmi announced her campaign for lieutenant governor; if elected she would be the first Muslim and Asian American elected to a statewide office in Virginia. She narrowly advanced from the Democratic primary in June, 2025, ahead of former Richmond mayor Levar Stoney and fellow state senator Aaron Rouse respectively, and will face Republican nominee John Reid in November.[1] With this nomination Hashmi is both the first Muslim and the first Indian-American to be nominated for a statewide office in Virginia.[13]
Policy positions
[edit]Healthcare
[edit]In 2024 following the overturning of Roe v. Wade, Hashmi and delegate Marcia Price introduced the Right to Contraception Act which would establish a legal right to access and use contraception in Virginia, including: oral contraceptive pills, intrauterine devices, and condoms.[14][15] It would also protect medical providers and pharmacists from legal action for providing contraception to patients.[16] It passed the Virginia General Assembly, but was vetoed by governor Glenn Youngkin in May.[17] The bill was reintroduced in 2025 but was vetoed by Youngkin again.[18][19] The same year, the Senate passed her bill which would block the extradition of health care providers who faced criminal charges in other states for performing medical services that are legal in Virginia— such as abortion and gender-affirming care.[20]
In 2025, she introduced a budget amendment alongside Creigh Deeds that would have set out a plan to find alternative funding if Virginia's federal Medicaid funding was cut.[21] As chair of the Senate's Education and Health Committee, she supported Virginia's health insurance marketplace and federal premium tax credits.[22]
Economy
[edit]In April 2025, Hashmi stated her support for repealing Virginia's right-to-work laws.[23]
Education
[edit]In 2025, Hashmi sponsored a bill to end a cap on state-funding for support positions in public schools which would cost $1.1 billion.[24]
Personal life
[edit]Hashmi moved to Richmond in 1991 with her husband, Azhar Rafiq.[25] They have two daughters.[2]
Electoral history
[edit]2019 election
[edit]Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
---|---|---|---|---|
Democratic | Ghazala Hashmi | 5,246 | 49.4% | |
Democratic | Eileen Bedell | 4,347 | 40.9% | |
Democratic | Zachary Parks Brown | 1,032 | 9.7% | |
Democratic | Write-ins | 2 | 0.0% | |
Total votes | 10,627 | 100% |
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
---|---|---|---|---|
Democratic | Ghazala Hashmi | 44,548 | 54.10% | |
Republican | Glen Sturtevant (incumbent) | 37,737 | 45.80% | |
Write-in | 92 | 0.01% | ||
Total votes | 82,377 | 100.00% | ||
Democratic gain from Republican |
2023 election
[edit]Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
---|---|---|---|---|
Democratic | Ghazala Hashmi (incumbent) | 33,253 | 62.16% | |
Republican | Hayden Fisher | 20,042 | 37.46% | |
Write-in | 202 | 0.38% | ||
Total votes | 53,494 | 100.00% | ||
Democratic hold |
2025 Democratic Lieutenant Governor Primary
[edit]
- 20–30%
- 30–40%
- 40–50%
- 50–60%
- 20–30%
- 30–40%
- 40–50%
- 50–60%
- 60–70%
- 70–80%
- 20–30%
- 30–40%
- 40–50%
- 50–60%
- 60–70%
- 30–40%
- 30–40%
- 20–30%
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
---|---|---|---|---|
Democratic | Ghazala Hashmi | 131,865 | 27.39% | |
Democratic | Levar Stoney | 128,262 | 26.64% | |
Democratic | Aaron Rouse | 126,802 | 26.34% | |
Democratic | Babur Lateef | 40,447 | 8.40% | |
Democratic | Alex Bastani | 27,386 | 5.69% | |
Democratic | Victor Salgado | 26,682 | 5.54% | |
Total votes | 481,444 | 100.00% |
Selected works
[edit]Books
[edit]- Bensen, Beth; Woetzel, Denise; Wu, Hong; Hashmi, Ghazala (September 29, 2016). "Chapter 19. Impacting Information Literacy through Alignment, Resources, and Assessment". In D'Angelo, Barbara J; Jamieson, Sandra; Maid, Barry; Walker, Janet R. (eds.). Information Literacy: Research and Collaboration across Disciplines (PDF). University Press of Colorado. pp. 397–410. doi:10.37514/PER-B.2016.0834. ISBN 978-1-64215-083-4.
- Hashmi, Ghazala (March 4, 2016). "Chapter 10. Shifting the City's Center within Katherine Boo's Behind the Beautiful Forevers". In Wilhite, Keith (ed.). The City Since 9/11: Literature, Film, Television. Bloomsbury Publishing. pp. 177–192. ISBN 1611477190.
Articles
[edit]- Hashmi, Ghazala (2022). "Safe at Home: Addressing Virginia's Housing Policy Concerns in a Pandemic". Richmond Public Interest Law Review. 25 (1): 25–46. Retrieved June 17, 2025.
- Hashmi, Ghazala Firdous (1991). William Carlos Williams and the American ground of "In the American Grain" and "Paterson" (PhD thesis). Emory University. Retrieved June 17, 2025.
References
[edit]- ^ a b Diaz, Olivia (June 18, 2025). "Ghazala Hashmi wins Democratic nomination for Virginia lieutenant governor". Associated Press. Retrieved June 18, 2025.
- ^ a b c d Hashmi, Rasia (November 7, 2019). "Senator Ghazala Hashmi is 'deeply attached' to Hyderabad". The Siasat Daily. Archived from the original on November 8, 2019. Retrieved November 7, 2019.
- ^ Budryk, Zack (November 5, 2019). "Ghazala Hashmi becomes first Muslim woman elected to Virginia's state senate". The Hill. Retrieved November 6, 2019.
- ^ "Making History: Alumna and Literature Professor Wins State Election". Georgia Southern Magazine. August 7, 2020. Retrieved June 30, 2025.
- ^ "Indian American Ghazala Hashmi wins Democratic nomination from Virginia's 10th Senate District". The American Bazaar. June 13, 2019. Retrieved November 6, 2019.
- ^ a b Hashmi, Ghazala Firdous (1992). William Carlos Williams and the American ground of In the American grain and Paterson (Ph.D. thesis). Emory University. OCLC 29824251.
- ^ Mirshahi, Dean (November 6, 2019). "Democrat Ghazala Hashmi wins 10th Senate District race". 8News. Retrieved November 6, 2019.
- ^ Suderman, Alan; Rankin, Sarah (January 8, 2020). "Newly empowered Virginia Democrats promise action". Associated Press. Archived from the original on January 9, 2020.
- ^ "Newly-Empowered Virginia Democrats Promise Action". Voice of America. January 8, 2020.
- ^ "Asombra diversidad étnica de nueva Legislatura de Virginia" [Ethnic diversity in new Virginia Legislature amazes]. Houston Chronicle (in Spanish). January 8, 2020. Archived from the original on January 8, 2020.
- ^ Rankin, Sarah (November 29, 2023). "JVirginia state senator seeks dismissal of lawsuit over 'baseless' residency allegations". Associated Press. Retrieved June 30, 2025.
- ^ Rankin, Sarah (December 1, 2023). "Judge dismisses legal challenge against Virginia state senator over residency allegations". Associated Press. Retrieved June 30, 2025.
- ^ Kosmas, Sam (June 18, 2025). "Virginia Election Results: Hashmi clinches Democratic nomination for Virginia lieutenant gov". Fox 5 Washington D.C. Retrieved June 18, 2025.
- ^ Swalec, Andrea (May 24, 2024). "Birth control: Why Youngkin vetoed a contraception bill and how access became an election issue". WRC-TV. Retrieved July 7, 2025.
- ^ Rankin, Sarah (February 15, 2024). "Virginia lawmakers advancing bills that aim to protect access to contraception". Associated Press. Retrieved July 7, 2025.
- ^ Roach, Janet (May 6, 2025). "Youngkin's Contraception Act Veto angers Virginia Democrats". WVEC. Retrieved July 7, 2025.
- ^ Vozzella, Laura (May 18, 2024). "Va. Gov. Youngkin vetoes bills on birth control, Confederate tax loopholes". The Washington Post. Retrieved July 7, 2025.
- ^ Engalnder, Tyler (January 28, 2025). "Virginia Senate passes 'Right to Contraception Act'". WRIC-TV. Retrieved July 7, 2025.
- ^ Kutner, Brad (May 6, 2025). "After another veto, Virginia Democrats vow to return next year with contraceptive protections". WVTF. Retrieved July 7, 2025.
- ^ Woods, Charlotte Rene (February 4, 2025). "Doctors who provide abortion, transgender care could get legal protections under Virginia bill". WHRO. Retrieved July 7, 2025.
- ^ Hoar McGibbon, Adrienne (February 26, 2025). "Medicaid expansion trigger law left untouched during General Assembly". Virginia Public Media. Retrieved July 7, 2025.
- ^ Hoar McGibbon, Adrienne (January 14, 2025). "Virginia's deadline for health insurance extended by 1 week". Virginia Public Media. Retrieved July 7, 2025.
- ^ O'Connor, Michael (April 24, 2025). "Democratic candidates for lieutenant governor come out against anti-union 'right-to-work' laws". Virginia Dogwood. Retrieved July 7, 2025.
- ^ Cline, Nathaniel (January 16, 2025). "Education advocates urge Va. lawmakers to remove school support cap". Virginia Mercury. Retrieved July 7, 2025.
- ^ "Senate of Virginia".
- ^ 2019 Senate of Virginia Democratic Primary - District 10 Virginia Department of Elections.
- ^ "Virginia State Senate District 10". Ballotpedia. Retrieved November 11, 2019.
- ^ "Member, Senate of Virginia (15th District)". Virginia Department of Elections. Retrieved January 14, 2024.
- ^ "2025 June Democratic Primary". Virginia Department of Elections. Retrieved June 19, 2025.
External links
[edit]- Official website
- Profile at Vote Smart
- Ghazala Hashmi at the Virginia Public Access Project