Chicago – November 10, 2025
Democrat Ghazala Hashmi won the Virginia lieutenant governor’s race, becoming the nation’s first Muslim woman elected to statewide office.
Hashmi will defeat Republican John Reid, a former conservative talk show host and the state’s first gay statewide nominee. As lieutenant governor, she will preside over the state Senate and be able to break ties in the chamber. The role could be crucial because with her seat vacant, Democrats will have a narrow 20-19 advantage with Hashmi leaving the Senate.
A Richmond-area state senator who helped flip the chamber in 2019, Hashmi campaigned on promises to stand up to the Trump administration. She is also Virginia’s first Indian American elected statewide.
Virginia is one of 17 states where lieutenant governors are elected separately from governors, though it’s been 20 years since different parties won the offices.
