New York: India-born American politician Ghazala Hashmi has been elected as Virginia’s Lieutenant Governor, becoming the first Muslim and South Asian American to be elected to the top political post in the state.
Hashmi, 61, a Democrat, secured 1,465,634 votes (54.2 per cent), way ahead of her Republican rival John Reid, who secured 1,232,242 votes, with 79 per cent of the votes in.
The Virginia State Senator, who emerged victorious on Election Day Tuesday, was among the over 30 Indian-Americans and South Asian candidates running for office for key nationwide positions in the 2025 elections.
Hashmi married to Azhar Rafiq. In 1991, the couple moved to Richmond. They have two daughters, Yasmin and Noor.
Prior to becoming the state senator, Hashmi worked as a college professor in Virginia. She entered politics in 2019 and in the Virginia Senate election that year, she pulled up a shocking victory over 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. She was officially sworn into office on January 8, 2020.
In 2023, Hashmi was re-elected with over 60 per cent of the vote against Republican candidate Hayden Fisher in the redistricted 15th district. In May 2024, Hashmi announced her campaign for lieutenant governor. In June this year, she went on to win a Democratic primary for lieutenant governor.
