Richmond, Virginia
AP
—
The candidates for Virginia’s lieutenant governor are set to make history after state Sen. Ghazala Hashmi won the Democratic nomination for the office on Wednesday.
Hashmi is the first Muslim and the first Indian-American to be nominated for a Virginia statewide office. She defeated five other candidates, including Democrats Levar Stoney and Aaron Rouse, in a razor-thin primary race.
Hashmi will now face Republican John Reid, the first out gay man to receive a major party’s endorsement for statewide office in Virginia, who became the de-facto nominee after his primary opponent left the race.
Her victory rounded out the Democratic ticket ahead of the November general election. It comes after former Virginia delegate Jay Jones became the party nominee for attorney general late Tuesday.
Virginia’s off-year elections typically draw national attention ahead of the 2026 midterms.
Democrats held down-ballot races for their statewide ticket, which is being led by Abigail Spanberger, the party’s nominee for governor. The former congresswoman, whose candidacy managed to avoid prospective primary challengers, will go up against Republican Lt. Gov. Winsome Earle-Sears, the only person to qualify for the GOP primary.
Republicans did not hold statewide primaries this year, with only one candidate in each statewide contest advancing to the general election ballot.
Earle-Sears became the Republican gubernatorial nominee after conservatives Dave LaRock and Amanda Chase failed to collect enough signatures to qualify for the ballot. Both LaRock and Chase initially criticized Earle-Sears for not being fully aligned with the White House.
Reid, a conservative talk-radio host, secured the Republican nomination for lieutenant governor despite intraparty quarreling over whether he was tied to a social media account reposting pornography, a charge he vehemently denied.
Virginia Attorney General Jason Miyares didn’t face a Republican primary opponent as he seeks reelection.
Hashmi was the first Muslim woman and the first South Asian American in Virginia’s upper chamber.
She emigrated from India when she was four years old, later moving to Richmond after getting a doctorate in American literature. She spent most of her career as a professor, first at the University of Richmond and then at Reynolds Community College.
Hashmi began her career in the Virginia Senate six years ago after ousting incumbent Republican state Sen. Glen Sturtevant. She was reelected to her seat in 2023.
In the Senate, Hashmi put forth bills establishing Virginians’ right to contraception, which passed both chambers but were vetoed by Republican Gov. Glenn Youngkin.
