As The First Muslim Woman To Win Statewide Office, Ghazala Hashmi Scripts History

India-West News Desk

RICHMOND, VA — In a defining moment for Virginia and for American politics, Ghazala Hashmi has been elected as the next Lieutenant Governor of Virginia, making history as the first Muslim woman, first Indian American, and first South Asian American to win a statewide race in the Commonwealth — and in the United States.

“Thank you, Virginia, for the immense honor bestowed upon me to serve as your next Lieutenant Governor. This moment belongs to every Virginian who believes that our politics must be more hopeful, more inclusive, and more compassionate,” Hashmi wrote in a post on X following her victory.

Hashmi, 61, defeated Republican John Reid in a closely watched contest that tightened in the final weeks but ultimately affirmed the state’s shifting political landscape. Her win not only flips the office back to Democratic hands but also marks a new chapter for Virginia’s growing diversity and progressive momentum. She will succeed Republican Winsome Earle-Sears, the first woman to hold the post.

Born in Hyderabad, Hashmi’s journey to public office is animmigrant success story. The daughter of Tanveer and Zia Hashmi, she spent her early childhood in the Malakpet neighborhood before moving to Georgia at age four, where her father pursued a PhD in international relations. Growing up during the era of school desegregation in the American South, Hashmi learned early about equity, empathy, and the power of civic engagement.

After earning a PhD in American literature from Emory University, she built a three-decade career in higher education, teaching at the University of Richmond and later at Reynolds Community College, where she founded the Center for Excellence in Teaching and Learning.

Her turn toward politics came in 2017, inspired by the divisive rhetoric of the Trump era and particularly by the administration’s travel ban targeting Muslim-majority countries. Determined to represent a voice of inclusion, she ran for the Virginia Senate and, in 2019, unseated a Republican incumbent—helping Democrats gain control of the chamber for the first time in a generation.

As a progressive Democrat, Hashmi has championed reproductive freedom, public education, environmental protection, voting rights, and equitable access to healthcare. In 2024, she became Chair of the Senate Education and Health Committee, overseeing key legislative priorities for her party.

With this win, Hashmi not only shatters multiple glass ceilings but also redefines what leadership in Virginia looks like. In her own words, “This moment belongs to every Virginian who believes that our politics can be more hopeful, more inclusive, and more compassionate.”