As New York cheered for its new mayor, history was being made in Virginia too as Senator Ghazala Hashmi went on to become the first Muslim American woman elected to statewide office in the U.S. with her victory in the lieutenant governor’s race.
Delivering a powerful victory speech on Tuesday night, Hashmi said, “Together, we have carved a new historic path,” as she thanked her supporters.
READ: Ghazala Hashmi receives $1 million from Democratic LG’s Association (
She also said, “My own journey from a young child landing at the airport in Savannah to now being elected as the first Muslim woman to achieve statewide office, the first Muslim woman to achieve statewide office not just in Virginia, but in the entire country was possible because of the depth and the breadth of the opportunities made available in this country and in this commonwealth.”
Hashmi defeated Republican John Reid, a former conservative talk show host and the state’s first gay statewide nominee. Virginia is one of the states in the country where lieutenant governors are elected separately from governors.
READ: Ghazala Hashmi vows to keep fighting for Virginia workers (
Hashmi is no stranger to making history as back in 2019, she became the first Muslim American woman elected to Virginia’s Legislature. Since then, she has served in the statehouse representing a district southwest of Washington, D.C.
Hashmi is currently a state senator representing a district south of Richmond. Prior to that, she worked as a college professor in Virginia.
Hashmi had the support of Rep Ro Khanna (D-Calif.) in the primary. Hashmi’s inauguration will be Saturday, Jan. 17.
Hashmi was born in Hyderabad and moved to the US at age 4.