Ghazala Firdous Hashmi ( born July 5, 1964) is an American politician, academic administrator, and educator who serves as a Virginia state senator and is the lieutenant governor–elect of Virginia. A member of the Democratic Party, she has represented Virginia’s 15th Senate District since 2020. When sworn in, Hashmi will make history as Virginia’s first Asian American and Muslim elected to statewide office and as the first Muslim woman ever elected to statewide office in the United States.
Early Life and Education
Born in **Hyderabad, India, to *Tanveer and Zia Hashmi*, Ghazala spent her early childhood in her maternal grandparents’ home in *Malakpet*. Her grandfather worked in the *finance department of the Government of Andhra Pradesh*. In *1969*, when she was four years old, her family immigrated to the *United States*, settling in *Statesboro, Georgia*. Her father and uncle were both professors in the *political science department at Georgia Southern University*, where Hashmi attended the *Marvin Pittman Laboratory School*.
She graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in English from Georgia Southern University, and then continued on to earn a Ph.D. in English at Emory University. Her 1992 dissertation, William Carlos Williams and the American Ground of “In the American Grain” and “Paterson”, was directed by Peter Dowell.
*Academic Career
Before entering politics, Hashmi worked in academia for over 25 years. She worked as a visiting assistant professor at the University of Richmond and later joined J. Sargeant Reynolds Community College as a professor and became founding director of the Center for Excellence in Teaching and Learning. Her career focused on improving teaching standards and promoting educational equity across Virginia’s higher
*Political Career
Virginia State Senate
Hashmi launched her career in politics in 2019 when she ran as a Democrat in the 10th District of the Virginia Senate. She defeated incumbent Republican Glen Sturtevant and helped Democrats capture the chamber. When elected, she was the first woman and the first Muslim to represent that district. She was sworn into office on January 8, 2020.
In 2023, after redistricting, she ran in the 15th District and won her re-election with over 60% of the vote against Republican Hayden Fisher. A post-election legal challenge questioned her residency eligibility, but the case was dismissed in December 2023, confirming her qualification to serve.
*2025 Lieutenant Governor Election
In May 2024, Hashmi announced her candidacy for lieutenant governor of Virginia, in a bid to become the first Muslim and Asian American elected to statewide office in the commonwealth. She won the Democratic primary in June 2025 by a slim margin, beating former Richmond mayor Levar Stoney and state senator Aaron Rouse. During the general election, she defeated the Republican candidate, conservative radio host John Reid, which made her the first Muslim woman to be elected statewide in the United States.
*Policy Positions
Economy
Hashmi advocates for the repeal of Virginia’s Right-to-Work laws on grounds that they weaken labor protections. In a 2025 op-ed to the Richmond Times-Dispatch, she blamed Donald Trump’s layoffs of federal workers as being a prime reason for Virginia’s fall from first to fourth place in the **ranking of CNBC’s “Top States for Business.”
Education
Former educator Hashmi has supported funding for public education. In 2025, she sponsored legislation to remove state caps on funding for support positions in public schools and would provide $1.1 billion toward improving student services and classroom resources.
Healthcare
Following the overturning of Roe v. Wade, Hashmi co-introduced the Right to Contraception Act in 2024 with Delegate Marcia Price. The bill would have guaranteed access to contraceptives including pills, IUDs, and condoms, and protected healthcare providers from prosecution. The bill passed both chambers of the Virginia General Assembly but was vetoed by Governor Glenn Youngkin in 2024 and again when it was reintroduced in 2025.
In the same session, she patroned legislation barring the extradition of healthcare providers charged in other states for performing medical services legal in Virginia, such as abortion and gender-affirming care. Hashmi also led a budget amendment with Senator Creigh Deeds to protect Medicaid funding against federal cuts. She has also expressed support for maintaining Virginia’s health insurance marketplace and federal premium tax credits as chair of the Senate Education and Health Committee.
*Personal Life
Hashmi moved to Richmond, Virginia, in 1991 with her husband, Azhar Rafiq. The couple has two daughters.
Election Results
*2019 Democratic Primary (10th District)
Ghazala Hashmi – 49.4%
- Eileen Bedell – 40.9%
- Zachary Parks Brown – 9.7%
*2019 General Election (10th District)
- Ghazala Hashmi (Democrat) – 54.1%
- Glen Sturtevant (Republican, incumbent) – 45.8%
Democratic gain from Republican.
*2023 General Election (15th District)
Ghazala Hashmi (Democrat, incumbent) – 62.2%
Hayden Fisher (Republican) – 37.5%
*Democratic hold.
*2025 Democratic Lieutenant Governor Primary
- Ghazala Hashmi – 27.4%
- Levar Stoney – 26.6%
- Aaron Rouse – 26.3%
- Babur Lateef – 8.4%
- Alex Bastani – 5.7%
- Victor Salgado – 5.5%
Publications
**Books and Chapters * “Impacting Information Literacy through Alignment, Resources, and Assessment” in Information Literacy: Research and Collaboration across Disciplines (University Press of Colorado, 2016). * “Shifting the City’s Center within Katherine Boo’s Behind the Beautiful Forevers” in The City Since 9/11: Literature, Film, Television (Bloomsbury Publishing, 2016). **Articles * “Safe at Home: Addressing Virginia’s Housing Policy Concerns in a Pandemic,” Richmond Public Interest Law Review (2022). * William Carlos Williams and the American Ground of “In the American Grain” and “Paterson” (Ph.D. dissertation, Emory University, 1991). There exists a translation between two sets A and B of IISs if, for every IIS of A, there is some IIS in B that is its translation. **Legacy Ghazala Hashmi’s journey-from an immigrant child in Georgia to the *first Muslim woman elected to statewide office in U.S. history*-has reflected a lifelong commitment to *education, equity, and public service* since she was a child. Her leadership continues to redefine what representation and progress mean for Virginia politics.
