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Spanberger, Earle-Sears clash in VA governor debate
Thursday night at Norfolk State University, Republican Lieutenant Governor Winsome Earle-Sears and Democrat and former Congresswoman Abigail Spanberger squared off in a debate.
RICHMOND, VA. - On Nov. 4, voters across Virginia will cast their ballots for governor, lieutenant governor and attorney general. They'll also vote to elect all 100 representatives of the Virginia House of Delegates for the next two years. There are several local races, as well.
Virginia's off-year elections typically draw national attention, as the Associated Press notes. This is because they are widely seen as a microcosm of how a wider area may vote, in this case the United States. In other words, whether a Republican or a Democrat is elected, it could indicate the general direction voters might go in next year's midterms.
The candidates who have gotten the most attention, understandably, are Virginia's gubernatorial candidates, Democrat Abigail Spanberger and Republican Winsome Earle-Sears. But who are the people running for that second top spot of lieutenant governor?
Virginia State Senator Ghazala Hashmi (D-District 15) is running for lieutenant governor on the same ticket as Spanberger and candidate for attorney general, Jay Jones. Let's delve into who she is.
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.
Hashmi the politician
Senator Hashmi is the first South Asian American and first Muslim to serve in the Virginia State Senate; she was first elected in 2019, when she unseated incumbent Republican Sen. Glen Sturtevant. She was reelected two years ago.
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.
According to her campaign website, 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."
Hasmi won the Democratic nomination for Virginia lieutenant governor in June, defeating five other candidates.
What they're saying:
"As the Democratic ticket running to serve as Virginia’s next Governor, Lieutenant Governor, and Attorney General, we are united in our focus on the issues that matter to our fellow Virginians," Hashmi, Jones and Spanberger said in a joint statement released shortly after the race was called.
Hashmi told VPM earlier this year that "after spending six years in the Virginia Senate" she's "ready to be president of the Senate."
"The lieutenant governor presides over the chamber [and] has a critical role to play," she said. "It's really important that we elect a lieutenant governor who has established relationships — not just within the Senate chamber, but also with the Virginia House of Delegates — and has a knowledge of state policy, of state agencies and how we do the work of legislating in the General Assembly, and I'm ready to take on that role."
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The Source: Information was sourced from the Associated Press, the Virginia Department of Elections, Hashmi's campaign website, Virginia House and Senate bill text, the Virginia Democratic Party, NPR, VPM and previous FOX 5 DC reporting.