Ghazala Hashmi

A proven leader in a high-stakes race 

Ghazala Hashmi is an experienced educator, state senator, and the Democratic nominee for lieutenant governor of Virginia. With just a one-seat majority in the state Senate, her tie-breaking power will be critical to passing Democratic legislation. With the support of EMILYs List, she defeated a Republican incumbent for state Senate in 2019 by nearly 10%, flipping the chamber and making history as the first Muslim and first South Asian American woman elected to the Virginia state Senate. 

As a four-year-old, Ghazala emigrated with her mother and older brother from India to the United States to join her father as he was completing his PhD and beginning his university teaching career. Growing up in a small college town in Georgia at a time when public schools were being desegregated, Ghazala saw firsthand how communities can be built and dialogue promoted through intentional efforts to bridge cultural, racial, and socioeconomic divides. After she earned her PhD, Ghazala and her husband, Azhar, moved to the Richmond area as newlyweds in 1991. She spent nearly 30 years as a professor, first teaching at the University of Richmond and then at Reynolds Community College. Ghazala and Azhar have two adult daughters who both graduated from Virginia public schools and the University of Virginia.

A champion for Virginia families

Ghazala has proven she has what it takes to win tough elections and to deliver for Virginians. In office, she has a proven track record of fighting for quality education, reproductive rights, and women and families. Ghazala quickly emerged as a leader in the Senate caucus, taking on Republicans’ harmful agenda and championing key legislation. In 2024, because of the confidence her Democratic colleagues have in her, Ghazala was named chair of the Senate Education and Health Committee, a crucial leadership post for two critical Democratic priorities: reproductive freedom and public education. In the face of a reckless agenda coming out of Washington, Ghazala is on the frontlines standing up for Virginia. She is ready to continue to fight for quality education, to defend our fundamental freedoms, and to improve the lives of Virginians.

A must-win November 2025 race

Ghazala is a tough campaigner who emerged from a crowded primary as the battle-tested Democratic nominee in this must-win November 2025 race. Polling shows she is within the margin of error, and she needs our urgent support more than ever. Ghazala must defeat John Reid — an anti-choice conservative talk show host who is a MAGA extremist, anxious to be another “yes-man” for Trump and his destructive agenda. Virginia remains the only state in the South without an abortion ban; John Reid and Republican gubernatorial nominee Winsome Earle-Sears are eager to change that. With an almost evenly-split state Senate, the tie-breaking vote of the lieutenant governor will likely decide the future of women’s health care and abortion access in the Commonwealth. Let’s show Ghazala the full support of the EMILYs List community and ensure that she has the resources to win.