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Ghazala Hashmi
Ghazala Firdous Hashmi (/ɡəˈzɑːlə ˈhɑːʃmi/ gə-ZAHL-ə HASH-mee; born July 5, 1964) is an American politician serving as the 43rd lieutenant governor of Virginia since 2026. A member of the Democratic Party, she previously served as a Virginia state senator for the 15th district from 2020 to 2026. She is the first Asian-American and Muslim elected to statewide office in Virginia, along with being the first Muslim woman to win statewide office anywhere in the United States.
Born in India and raised in Georgia, Hashmi earned a PhD in English from Emory University. In 2019, she was elected to the Virginia General Assembly and re-elected in 2023. As the Democratic nominee in the 2025 Virginia lieutenant gubernatorial election, Hashmi defeated Republican John Reid in the general election.
Hashmi was born in Hyderabad, India, in 1964 to Tanveer and Zia Hashmi into a Hyderabadi Muslim family. She lived at her maternal grandparents' home in Malakpet during her childhood. Her maternal grandfather served in the finance department of the Government of Andhra Pradesh.
Her family moved to the United States in 1969 when she was four years old and she grew up in Statesboro, Georgia. Her father and uncle worked in Georgia Southern University’s political science department, and she attended the Marvin Pittman Laboratory School at the university.
Hashmi completed a Bachelor of Arts in English at Georgia Southern University and earned a PhD in English from Emory University. Her 1992 dissertation was titled William Carlos Williams and the American Ground of "In the American Grain" and "Paterson". Peter Dowell was her doctoral advisor.
Hashmi was an educator and academic administrator for 25 years. She was a visiting assistant professor of English at the University of Richmond and a professor at J. Sargeant Reynolds Community College, where she served as the founding director of the Center for Excellence in Teaching and Learning.
Hashmi decided to run for office in Donald Trump's first term in office, specifically over the anger she felt over the so-called Muslim ban. In the 2019 Virginia Senate election, Hashmi defeated incumbent Republican Glen Sturtevant in the 10th district, flipping the chamber to Democratic control. She is the first woman to represent the district and the first Muslim elected to the Senate of Virginia. She was officially sworn into office on January 8, 2020.
In 2023, she was re-elected with over 60% of the vote against Republican candidate Hayden Fisher in the redistricted 15th district. A legal challenge was filed shortly after claiming Hashmi did not meet the residency requirements to hold office, having established her residency at a rental apartment within the 15th district while her family home nearby was in a neighboring district. A judge dismissed the lawsuit in early December.
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Ghazala Hashmi
Ghazala Firdous Hashmi (/ɡəˈzɑːlə ˈhɑːʃmi/ gə-ZAHL-ə HASH-mee; born July 5, 1964) is an American politician serving as the 43rd lieutenant governor of Virginia since 2026. A member of the Democratic Party, she previously served as a Virginia state senator for the 15th district from 2020 to 2026. She is the first Asian-American and Muslim elected to statewide office in Virginia, along with being the first Muslim woman to win statewide office anywhere in the United States.
Born in India and raised in Georgia, Hashmi earned a PhD in English from Emory University. In 2019, she was elected to the Virginia General Assembly and re-elected in 2023. As the Democratic nominee in the 2025 Virginia lieutenant gubernatorial election, Hashmi defeated Republican John Reid in the general election.
Hashmi was born in Hyderabad, India, in 1964 to Tanveer and Zia Hashmi into a Hyderabadi Muslim family. She lived at her maternal grandparents' home in Malakpet during her childhood. Her maternal grandfather served in the finance department of the Government of Andhra Pradesh.
Her family moved to the United States in 1969 when she was four years old and she grew up in Statesboro, Georgia. Her father and uncle worked in Georgia Southern University’s political science department, and she attended the Marvin Pittman Laboratory School at the university.
Hashmi completed a Bachelor of Arts in English at Georgia Southern University and earned a PhD in English from Emory University. Her 1992 dissertation was titled William Carlos Williams and the American Ground of "In the American Grain" and "Paterson". Peter Dowell was her doctoral advisor.
Hashmi was an educator and academic administrator for 25 years. She was a visiting assistant professor of English at the University of Richmond and a professor at J. Sargeant Reynolds Community College, where she served as the founding director of the Center for Excellence in Teaching and Learning.
Hashmi decided to run for office in Donald Trump's first term in office, specifically over the anger she felt over the so-called Muslim ban. In the 2019 Virginia Senate election, Hashmi defeated incumbent Republican Glen Sturtevant in the 10th district, flipping the chamber to Democratic control. She is the first woman to represent the district and the first Muslim elected to the Senate of Virginia. She was officially sworn into office on January 8, 2020.
In 2023, she was re-elected with over 60% of the vote against Republican candidate Hayden Fisher in the redistricted 15th district. A legal challenge was filed shortly after claiming Hashmi did not meet the residency requirements to hold office, having established her residency at a rental apartment within the 15th district while her family home nearby was in a neighboring district. A judge dismissed the lawsuit in early December.