Ghazala Hashmi Elected Virginia's Lieutenant Governor

Indian-American Democrat Ghazala Hashmi has won the race for Virginia lieutenant governor, defeating Republican John Reid. Her victory marks the first time a Muslim and a South Asian American will serve in this statewide post in Virginia.

Hashmi first entered Virginia politics in 2019 when she flipped a Republican-held state Senate seat and joined the General Assembly. Over subsequent years she championed policies on education, health care and social equity, and in 2024 she was named Chair of the Senate Education and Health Committee, where she helped push measures on reproductive rights and public school reforms.

The 15th District Senate seat she currently holds will be contested in a special election to select her successor.

Early Life and Education

Born in Hyderabad, India, in 1964, Ghazala Hashmi is the daughter of Professor Zia Hashmi and Tanveer Hashmi. Her father studied at Aligarh Muslim University, later earned a PhD in International Relations from the University of South Carolina and served as Director of the Centre for International Studies. Her mother graduated from Osmania University’s Women’s College and worked in education.

At age four she moved to the United States with her mother and brother to join her father in Georgia. A top student, Hashmi graduated as her high school valedictorian and received multiple scholarships. She holds a BA with honors from Georgia Southern University and completed a PhD in American Literature at Emory University in Atlanta.

Academic and Family Life

In 1991, Hashmi and her husband Azhar Rafiq settled near Richmond, Virginia, where they raised two daughters, Yasmin and Noor—both alumni of Chesterfield County Public Schools and the University of Virginia.

She spent nearly 30 years in higher education, teaching at the University of Richmond and Reynolds Community College. At Reynolds, Hashmi was the founding director of the Center for Excellence in Teaching and Learning (CETL), focusing on innovative pedagogy and faculty development.

Leadership and Vision

Throughout her career, Hashmi has focused on expanding access to quality education, improving health-care access and advancing environmental justice. Her emphasis on equity and inclusion has made her a prominent progressive voice in Virginia politics.

Her election to lieutenant governor is seen as a milestone for representation, reflecting the increasing role of the Indian-American community in state leadership.