Historic win: Virginia elects first Muslim woman to statewide office

Democratic Senator Ghazala Hashmi has been elected as the lieutenant governor of Virginia, becoming the first Muslim woman in United States history to win a statewide office.

Hashmi defeated conservative talk show host John Reid in the final vote, maintaining a steady lead throughout the general election campaign despite tightening polls in the final days before Election Day.

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Virginia is one of 17 US states where the governor and lieutenant governor are elected separately. The state has not seen the two offices held by different parties in two decades. The lieutenant governorship is widely viewed as a potential stepping stone to the governor’s office, as Virginia law prohibits governors from serving consecutive terms.

Hashmi secured the Democratic nomination in June by defeating five rivals in the primary with a narrow 28 percent of the vote. She then campaigned alongside gubernatorial candidate Abigail Spanberger and attorney general nominee Jay Jones. Jones later faced criticism over aggressive text messages, which Hashmi condemned, though she did not call for him to withdraw from the race.

Throughout the campaign, Hashmi largely ignored attacks from her Republican rival, who accused her of avoiding live debates. In an unusual move, Reid held a mock debate in October against an artificial intelligence-generated version of Hashmi.

Hashmi made history in 2019 as the first Muslim and Indian-American woman elected to the Virginia Senate, where she unseated a Republican incumbent, helping Democrats gain the majority. She has said that the travel ban imposed by the Trump administration on several Muslim-majority countries was among the main factors that inspired her to enter politics.

Born in India, Hashmi immigrated to the United States with her family at the age of five and has spent her life advocating for the rights and representation of minority communities.