Who is Ghazala Hashmi? Short answer: She’s an accomplished senator (D SD 15) in the VA General Assembly and her new goal is to become the next Lt. Governor of Virginia.
Yet there’s far more to Ghazala Hashmi than meets the eye.
Hashmi has served in the Virginia State Senate since 2020. Her immigrant journey is one to which many Virginians can relate:
“As a four year old, Ghazala emigrated with her mother and older brother from India to the United States where they joined her father in Georgia just as he was completing his PhD in international relations and beginning his university teaching career…After graduating as valedictorian of her high school class and receiving multiple full scholarships and fellowships, Ghazala earned a BA with honors from Georgia Southern University and her PhD in American literature from Emory University in Atlanta.”
After moving to Richmond with her husband in 1991, she built a thirty-year career teaching at local colleges. They have two adult daughters, both graduates of Chesterfield County Public Schools and the University of Virginia.
Ghazala Hashmi is a candidate of historic firsts
In 2020, Hashmi became the first Muslim and the first South Asian American to serve in the Virginia Senate.
This year, she won the Democratic nomination for Virginia lieutenant governor. That’s notable because her win, along with that of Jay Jones for Attorney General and Abigail Spanberger for Governor, makes the Democratic ticket one of the most diverse in Virginia history.
If elected this November, Ghazala Hashmi would become the first Muslim and South Asian American to hold the position of Lt. Governor. Given voter enthusiasm for her, it’s no wonder that the tag line for her 2019 senate campaign was “Ghazala Hashmi is an American name.”
Making a difference in the lives of Virginians
In the General Assembly, Senator Hashmi focused on a wide variety of issues that affect all Virginians, such as education, healthcare, and housing. She’s also a champion of progressive policies. Her committee work includes
- Agriculture, Conservation and Natural Resources
- Education and Health
- Finance and Appropriations
- The subcommittees for Education, Public Safety & Claims, Rules, and Transportation
Additionally, Hashmi has been six-year member of the General Assembly’s Joint Housing Commission. In 2024, she was named Chair of the Senate Education and Health Committee, enabling her to lead the charge for two critical Democratic priorities: reproductive freedom and public education.
Key legislative and policy achievements
Hashmi’s legislative efforts demonstrated her responsiveness to constituents’ needs and addressed issues that Virginians consider highly important: education, health care, housing, and the environment.
Education
Hashmi was a main co-patron for SB 395, a bill designed to provide in-state tuition to Virginia students regardless of immigration status.
She wrote a bill to prevent book banning in schools.
By partnering with bipartisan colleagues, she improved education outcomes for rural schools, expanded career and technical education programs, supported community colleges, increased access to degree programs, and created internship opportunities in emerging technologies.
When public education came under attack, Hashmi drafted the budget plan to increase school funding.
Healthcare
Hashmi wrote the bill protecting contraception and helped draft the language for Virginia’s constitutional amendment for reproductive freedom.
She’s a key architect of the plan to protect Medicaid in Virginia.
She introduced legislation to increase access to professional counselors, which passed in the General Assembly in 2023.
An advocate for the Care Economy, she has worked to expand childcare, home healthcare and elder care access, as well as establish fair compensation for domestic workers.
Housing
Her Faith in Housing Act (SB 1178) addressed the need for communities of faith and other non-profit organizations to convert land they own into affordable housing.
She’s a champion of tenant rights.
Hashmi helped decrease eviction rates.
She worked for protections for mobile and manufactured homes residents.
Environment
Clean Virginia outlined how Hashmi has consistently advocated for “clean, affordable energy:”
- Co-patroned the Virginia Clean Economy Act (Senate Bill 851) to increase the Commonwealth’s investment in renewable energy sources and reduce reliance on polluting fossil fuels.
- Established a virtual power plant program to reduce energy costs for families and strengthen the electric grid (Senate Bill 1100).
- Expanded energy efficiency programs (Senate Bill 1323) to lower energy costs for Dominion Energy customers who are low-income, elderly, disabled or veterans of military service.
- Wrote and championed the Environmental Justice Act (Senate Bill 406), requiring state agencies to center frontline communities in new policy and project decisions.
- Advocated for fair access to jobs and clean energy benefits for all communities.
Learn more about Ghazala Hashmi’s legislative priorities.
A track record of showing up for Virginians
The November 2025 election is a make-or-break moment in Virginia, with high stakes for everyone. That’s why it’s crucial to elect a Lieutenant Governor who serves with gusto and delivers results.
Senator Hashmi has a record of serving Virginians at the General Assembly, town halls, and in-person events. Need more proof of her dedication? Check out her impressive list of legislative awards and recognitions.
Ghazala Hashmi’s extensive, hard work proved she has the will, compassion, and vision to help steer the Commonwealth to a future where all Virginians thrive.
Take Action
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- Check out Ghazala’s Website and Donate or Volunteer.
- Attend an event like this one featuring Ghazala: https://www.mobilize.us/mobilize/event/830762/
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- More Articles N4C news featuring Ghazala Hashmi
