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Democrats sweep three major races in Virginia
It was a big night for Democrats in Virginia as the seats for governor, lieutenant governor and attroney general all flipped blue. This has been a closely watched race with some political experts saying this election could serve as a bellweather ahead of the 2026 midterm elections. FOX 5's Tom Fitzgerald and Jim Lokay discuss the big swing.
WASHINGTON - Democrat Ghazala Hashmi has won the race to be Virginia’s next lieutenant governor, beating out Republican John Reid.
Big wins for Democrats
Historic election night:
Hashmi won the Democratic nomination for Virginia lieutenant governor in June, defeating five other candidates.
Senator Hashmi was the first South Asian American and first Muslim to serve in the Virginia State Senate, and now, she’ll be the first to serve as lieutenant governor.
This comes after Democrat Abigail Spanberger won the gubernatorial race, making her the first female governor of the Commonwealth.
Who is Ghazala Hashmi?
Dig deeper:
During her tenure in the Senate, Hashmi put forth the Right to Contraception Act, which passed in both the Virginia House of Delegates and the Senate, but was vetoed by Republican Gov. Glenn Youngkin. The legislation would have codified contraception access for Virginians in the wake of the Supreme Court's overturning of Roe v. Wade in 2022.
Besides reproductive rights, her other focuses include public education, voting rights, gun violence prevention, climate change, housing and access to affordable health care. She also values the "preservation of democracy."
Hashmi told VPM earlier this year that "after spending six years in the Virginia Senate" she's "ready to be president of the Senate."
Personal life
What we know:
Hashmi emigrated with her mother and older brother from India to the United States when she was 4 years old, according to her campaign website.
She graduated as valedictorian of her high school class and attended Georgia Southern University before earning her PhD in American literature from Emory University.
She and her husband moved to the Richmond area in 1991, where they still live. They have two daughters, who both graduated from Chesterfield County Public Schools and the University of Virginia.
Prior to being a member of the Virginia State Senate, Hashmi spent nearly three decades as a professor at both the University of Richmond and Reynolds Community College.