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Ghazala Hashmi
2024 - Present
2028
1
Ghazala Hashmi (Democratic Party) is a member of the Virginia State Senate, representing District 15. She assumed office on January 10, 2024. Her current term ends on January 12, 2028.
Hashmi (Democratic Party) is running for election for Lieutenant Governor of Virginia. She is on the ballot in the general election on November 4, 2025. She advanced from the Democratic primary on June 17, 2025.
Hashmi completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2025. Click here to read the survey answers.
Biography
Ghazala Hashmi earned a bachelor's degree from Georgia Southern University. She earned a Ph.D. from Emory University. Her career experience includes working as an educator.[1]
Nov. 4 Virginia lieutenant gubernatorial election
Ballotpedia identified the Nov. 4 Virginia lieutenant gubernatorial election as a battleground election. For more on the election, click here.
Ghazala Hashmi (D) and John Reid (R) are running in the general election for lieutenant governor of Virginia on Nov. 4, 2025. Incumbent Lt. Gov. Winsome Earle-Sears (R) is running for governor of Virginia instead of re-election.
WAMU's Margaret Barthel wrote, "Virginia's lieutenant governor has few official powers. The role presides over the state senate and can break a tie if the body is evenly split on a vote. The position also serves on a variety of state boards and commissions, and pays a salary of just over $36,000. But because Virginia governors can't serve consecutive terms, the lieutenant governor post is often seen as a political stepping stone to a future bid for governor."[2]
According to Randolph-Macon College's Rich Meagher, the tie-breaking vote is important in the chamber: "If you have a senator who feels uncomfortable about an issue, or have a controversial issue that you feel like it's gonna be really hard to get your entire majority to vote for, it's nice to have a little bit of an extra cushion."[3] As of Aug. 12, 2025, Democrats have a 21-19 majority in the Virginia Senate.
Hashmi represents District 15 in the state Senate. She was first elected to the chamber in 2019, when she defeated incumbent state Sen. Glen Sturtevant (R) 54% to 46%. Hashmi previously worked as a community college educator for 30 years.[4]
Hashmi said she is running because "Virginia needs an executive team, inclusive of a strong Governor, Lieutenant Governor, and Attorney General, that is not only ready to respond effectively to the Trump administration but also ready to chart the next four years of policy that will effectively cast Virginia as an exemplar for other states."[5] Hashmi's priorities includefunding public education and lowering the cost of post-secondary education, ensuring access to affordable health care, and improving housing affordability.[5]
Reid hosted the radio program, Richmond Morning News, from 2017 to 2025.[6] He previously worked as a television news anchor and investigative reporter in Richmond, Virginia, for 10 years.[7] Reid has also worked in communication roles for U.S. Sen. George Allen (R-Va.) and the Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America (IAVA).[7]
On the election, Reid said, "I left a successful job and career and a decent paycheck to pursue this job and this leadership opportunity. This is not about money or celebrity status or power or future politics for me, it's about leading away from zealotry and social justice warrior agendas and making reasonable and responsible and fair decisions so that free citizens can manage their own lives as they see fit."[8] Reid's priorities include improving public safety, advocating for lower taxes and deregulation, and opposing any attempt to repeal the state's right-to-work law.[8][9]
As of Aug. 12, 2025, Virginia is one of 17 states where the lieutenant governor is elected separately from the governor. According to George Mason University's Mark Rozell, "With separate balloting, the potential exists for candidates from opposite political parties serving together in the state's two top offices."[10] From 1969 to 2021, Virginia voters elected candidates from opposite political parties to serve as lieutenant governor and governor five times.[10] The most recent instance was in 2005, when voters elected Tim Kaine (D) as governor and Bill Bolling (R) as lieutenant governor.[10]
Committee assignments
Note: This membership information was last updated in September 2023. Ballotpedia completes biannual updates of committee membership. If you would like to send us an update, email us at: editor@ballotpedia.org.
2023-2024
Hashmi was assigned to the following committees:
2020-2021
Hashmi was assigned to the following committees:
- Agriculture, Conservation and Natural Resources Committee
- Education and Health Committee
- General Laws and Technology Committee
- Local Government Committee
Sponsored legislation
The following table lists bills this person sponsored as a legislator, according to BillTrack50 and sorted by action history. Bills are sorted by the date of their last action. The following list may not be comprehensive. To see all bills this legislator sponsored, click on the legislator's name in the title of the table.
Elections
2025
See also: Virginia lieutenant gubernatorial election, 2025
General election
General election for Lieutenant Governor of Virginia
Ghazala Hashmi, John Reid, and Marlow Jones are running in the general election for Lieutenant Governor of Virginia on November 4, 2025.
Candidate | ||
 | Ghazala Hashmi (D)  | |
 | John Reid (R) | |
 | Marlow Jones (Independent) (Write-in) | |
| ||||
| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
| If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team. | ||||
Democratic primary election
Democratic primary for Lieutenant Governor of Virginia
The following candidates ran in the Democratic primary for Lieutenant Governor of Virginia on June 17, 2025.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | Ghazala Hashmi | 27.5 | 136,717 |
 | Levar Stoney | 26.5 | 131,765 | |
 | Aaron Rouse | 26.2 | 130,485 | |
 | Babur Lateef | 8.5 | 42,099 | |
 | Alex Bastani | 5.7 | 28,476 | |
 | Victor Salgado | 5.6 | 27,593 | |
| Total votes: 497,135 | |||
| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
| If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team. | ||||
Republican primary election
The Republican primary election was canceled. John Reid advanced from the Republican primary for Lieutenant Governor of Virginia.
Withdrawn or disqualified candidates
- John Curran (R)
- Pat Herrity (R)
Campaign finance
Endorsements
Hashmi received the following endorsements. To view a full list of Hashmi's endorsements as published by their campaign, click here. To send us additional endorsements, click here.
2023
See also: Virginia State Senate elections, 2023
General election
General election for Virginia State Senate District 15
Incumbent Ghazala Hashmi defeated Hayden Fisher in the general election for Virginia State Senate District 15 on November 7, 2023.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | Ghazala Hashmi (D) | 62.2 | 33,253 |
| Hayden Fisher (R) | 37.5 | 20,042 | ||
| Other/Write-in votes | 0.4 | 202 | ||
| Total votes: 53,497 | |||
| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
| If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team. | ||||
Withdrawn or disqualified candidates
- Elmer Diaz (R)
Democratic primary election
The Democratic primary election was canceled. Incumbent Ghazala Hashmi advanced from the Democratic primary for Virginia State Senate District 15.
Republican primary election
The Republican primary election was canceled. Elmer Diaz advanced from the Republican primary for Virginia State Senate District 15.
Endorsements
Hashmi received the following endorsements.
2019
See also: Virginia State Senate elections, 2019
General election
General election for Virginia State Senate District 10
Ghazala Hashmi defeated incumbent Glen Sturtevant in the general election for Virginia State Senate District 10 on November 5, 2019.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | Ghazala Hashmi (D) | 54.1 | 44,548 |
 | Glen Sturtevant (R) | 45.8 | 37,737 | |
| Other/Write-in votes | 0.1 | 92 | ||
| Total votes: 82,377 | |||
| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
| If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team. | ||||
Democratic primary election
Democratic primary for Virginia State Senate District 10
Ghazala Hashmi defeated Eileen McNeil Bedell and Zachary Brown in the Democratic primary for Virginia State Senate District 10 on June 11, 2019.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | Ghazala Hashmi | 49.4 | 5,246 |
 | Eileen McNeil Bedell | 40.9 | 4,347 | |
| Zachary Brown | 9.7 | 1,032 | ||
| Other/Write-in votes | 0.0 | 2 | ||
| Total votes: 10,627 | |||
| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
| If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team. | ||||
Campaign themes
2025
Ballotpedia survey responses
See also: Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection
Ghazala Hashmi completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2025. The survey questions appear in bold and are followed by Hashmi's responses. Candidates are asked three required questions for this survey, but they may answer additional optional questions as well.
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- After serving six years in the Virginia Senate, I am running now for Lieutenant Governor for many of the same reasons that I first ran for the State Senate in 2019: to speak out and stand up for those individuals and communities that have been historically and systemically marginalized. Given the reality of what is happening now in Washington, DC, the role of state leaders has become even more important and vital. By default, the work of protecting public education, access to health care, protections for civil rights (including the rights of women and the LGBTQ community), the environment, our children from gun violence, and so much more are now falling to the responsibility of state leaders and state legislatures.
- Virginia needs an Executive Team, inclusive of a strong Governor, Lieutenant Governor, and Attorney General, that is not only ready to respond effectively to the Trump administration but also ready to chart the next four years of policy that will effectively cast Virginia as an exemplar for other states. As the Trump-Musk Administration assails our freedoms and our values, I have pushed back hard, most recently holding town halls in districts where Republican congressmen are afraid to face their own constituents. I have attended rallies and stood shoulder to shoulder with Virginians anxious, concerned, and angry at the direction of this country, making certain that they know I will always be by their side protecting our shared values.
- I have introduced bills to protect Medicaid, establish environmental justice, provide healthcare coverage for all children, grant educational opportunities for all students, and protect the right to reproductive healthcare in Virginia. The work that I have been doing proves that I am the kind of leader we need now to push back against a lawless president.
Ensuring access to affordable and quality health care: Given federal threats, protecting Medicaid and the Affordable Care Act is a top priority. That's why I wrote the bill to protect Medicaid expansion from Trump and Musk's attacks. I am also a very strong supporter of reproductive freedom including the right to safe and legal abortion. For two years now, I have carried and successfully passed The Right to Contraception Act.
Note: Ballotpedia reserves the right to edit Candidate Connection survey responses. Any edits made by Ballotpedia will be clearly marked with [brackets] for the public. If the candidate disagrees with an edit, he or she may request the full removal of the survey response from Ballotpedia.org. Ballotpedia does not edit or correct typographical errors unless the candidate's campaign requests it.
Campaign website
Hashmi's campaign website stated the following:
| “ |
Reproductive Freedom Thanks to the disastrous Dobbs Supreme Court decision, my daughters and yours have fewer rights than their mothers did. I will never stop fighting for reproductive health care, including access to abortion and to contraception. As the last Southern state that has not severely restricted abortion access, we have a responsibility to ensure that all people, from Virginia or elsewhere, have access to the safe and legal health care they need and deserve. We must expand services, not shut them down. I am proud to have been named a Defender of Choice by REPRO Rising Virginia in recognition of my work in the State Senate, including my Right to Contraception Act, to protect our freedoms. Gun Violence Protection Tragically, mass shootings continue to increase, and gun violence is now the number one killer of our children, more than accidents or illness. I am committed to doing everything I can to stop the proliferation of guns and reduce the violence and deaths. I strongly support universal background checks, safe storage laws, strengthened red flag laws, and a ban on assault weapons which are weapons of war. Fighting Bigotry All Virginians deserve opportunity, fair treatment, equal rights, and justice. Unfortunately, too many of our communities are under attack as they face LGBTQIA bigotry, Islamophobia, and antisemitism. And more than four hundred years of systemic racism continue to affect the lives of Black Virginians, as we respond to redlining, inequitable education opportunities, and healthcare disparities. Immigrants are too often denigrated and made to feel unwelcome. We have a fundamental responsibility to fight hatred wherever we see it and to ensure that this country’s ideals of justice, equality, and fairness are a reality for all. Jobs & Economy As Virginians face an ever-changing economy, our education systems must focus on preparing the next generation with the necessary skills, training, and credentials that are essential for emerging technologies and careers. We must expand access to quality childcare and make it affordable, ensure that families are supported with home healthcare and elder care, and provide domestic workers with compensation at the levels that they deserve for their essential services. We must protect our workers’ rights to organize, to bargain collectively for fair pay, benefits, and safe workplaces. A living wage is a fundamental right for workers and their families. Education Education has always been a top priority for me. We need to prioritize fully funding our public schools so all our children must have access to top notch public schools with modern technology and sufficient staff including career counselors, mental health professionals and subject area specialists, no matter the zip code. I have championed bills and budget amendments to provide increased support for our educators and for our most vulnerable students, including English Language Learners and students with disabilities. By supporting our educators and students, addressing target areas of inequality, protecting vulnerable populations in our schools, and dedicating ourselves to keeping our schools free from gun violence, I am working to ensure accessible and equitable education for all of the Commonwealth’s students. Our students and communities thrive when we expand access to higher learning and career pathways, whether through community colleges, workforce development centers, and public colleges and universities. Environment The effects of human-caused climate change are happening now, and Virginia must lead on critical environmental policies to address the concerns of the climate catastrophes that face us, and ensure that we protect our precious natural resources for future generations. Key concerns include reducing carbon emissions and transitioning to renewable energy, shoring up coastal resiliency programs, protecting communities from the threats of flooding, and addressing the concerns of environmental justice. Housing Clean, safe and decent housing is a fundamental human right and access to affordable housing is particularly important as we navigate challenging economic times. We need to develop plans for those who are houseless and housing insecure, support better financial products for homeowners, and expand tenant rights and protections. Families Thriving communities are built on strong and resilient families. Ensuring that families have affordable housing, access to nutritious food, safe neighborhoods, effective transportation, and responsive, accessible and affordable health care helps us to build stable communities. We need effective family leave policies, affordable quality child care, elder care services, well-paying jobs to help families thrive. Health Care Health care is a human right. Every Virginian must have access to affordable health care, including reproductive health care, safe and legal abortion, contraception, and low-cost prescription drugs. We need to address physician and nursing shortages all across Virginia. Expanding access to mental health services and ensuring it is affordable is critically important for all families. Protecting Our Democracy Unfortunately, the very structures of our democracy from voting rights to government institutions are under attack by rightwing extremists. Fair and open elections are the foundation of our democracy and ensuring access to the ballot box is critical. We must protect and continue to build on the Democratic successes of expanding early voting, mail-in ballots, and no-excuse absentee voting. The right to vote is the cornerstone of our democracy. Additionally, we must protect our election technologies, ballots, and processes so that the integrity of the electoral system is maintained. [11] |
” |
| —Hashmi's campaign website (2025)[12] | ||
2023
Ghazala Hashmi did not complete Ballotpedia's 2023 Candidate Connection survey.
2019
Ghazala Hashmi completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2019. The survey questions appear in bold and are followed by Hashmi's responses. Candidates are asked three required questions for this survey, but they may answer additional optional questions as well.
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For the past 30 years, I have served as a college eductor, and for the last two decades, I have worked as a professor and administrator within Virginia's community college system. When I was four years old, I immigrated from India with my parents to Georgia, and 2019 marks my 50th anniversary of living in America. After I earned my Ph.D. in English from Emory University, my husband and I moved to the Richmond area as newlyweds. We've raised our two daughters in Chesterfield County. Both were involved in Girl Scouts (I served as Troop Leader for three years for my younger daughter's troop), extensive volunteer work, and lots of extra-curricular activities. I am passionate about education and about making sure that students, faculty, and staff have the resources and support that they need to excel. My most recent experiences as the Founding Director of the Center for Excellence in Teaching and Learning at J. Sargeant Reynolds Community College have made me more determined than ever to ensure that we provide excellent educational opportunities to all Virginians. I'm in this race because I think it's time each and every Virginian has a chance to experience the economic opportunity, education, and safety they deserve, regardless of their gender, ethnicity, sexual orientation, ability, or socio-economic background.
Education is a public good, which is why I will prioritize investing in public education to ensure that every child is afforded the same opportunities, regardless of zip code.
Health care is a right, not a privilege. I will fight to protect Medicaid expansion, which gave access to affordable health care to up to 400,000 Virginians.
As parents, we shouldn't have to worry about the safety of our children every morning as they head to school; this is why I support common-sense gun safety reforms such as universal background checks.
Note: Ballotpedia reserves the right to edit Candidate Connection survey responses. Any edits made by Ballotpedia will be clearly marked with [brackets] for the public. If the candidate disagrees with an edit, he or she may request the full removal of the survey response from Ballotpedia.org. Ballotpedia does not edit or correct typographical errors unless the candidate's campaign requests it.
Campaign finance summary
Note: The finance data shown here comes from the disclosures required of candidates and parties. Depending on the election or state, this may represent only a portion of all the funds spent on their behalf. Satellite spending groups may or may not have expended funds related to the candidate or politician on whose page you are reading this disclaimer. Campaign finance data from elections may be incomplete. For elections to federal offices, complete data can be found at the FEC website. Click here for more on federal campaign finance law and here for more on state campaign finance law.
Scorecards
A scorecard evaluates a legislator’s voting record. Its purpose is to inform voters about the legislator’s political positions. Because scorecards have varying purposes and methodologies, each report should be considered on its own merits. For example, an advocacy group’s scorecard may assess a legislator’s voting record on one issue while a state newspaper’s scorecard may evaluate the voting record in its entirety.
Ballotpedia is in the process of developing an encyclopedic list of published scorecards. Some states have a limited number of available scorecards or scorecards produced only by select groups. It is Ballotpedia’s goal to incorporate all available scorecards regardless of ideology or number.
Click here for an overview of legislative scorecards in all 50 states. To contribute to the list of Virginia scorecards, email suggestions to editor@ballotpedia.org.
2024
| To view all the scorecards we found for this legislator in 2024, click [show]. |
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In 2024, the Virginia State Legislature was in session from January 10 to March 9. Special sessions occurred May 13, 2024; June 18 to July 1; and July 18, 2024.
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2023
| To view all the scorecards we found for this legislator in 2023, click [show]. |
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In 2023, the Virginia State Legislature was in session from January 11 to February 25.
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2022
| To view all the scorecards we found for this legislator in 2022, click [show]. |
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In 2022, the Virginia State Legislature was in session from January 12 to March 12.
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2021
| To view all the scorecards we found for this legislator in 2021, click [show]. |
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In 2021, the Virginia State Legislature was in session from January 13 to February 8.
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2020
| To view all the scorecards we found for this legislator in 2020, click [show]. |
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In 2020, the Virginia State Legislature was in session from January 8 to March 12. A special session was held from August 18 to November 9.
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See also
2025 Elections
External links
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Candidate Lieutenant Governor of Virginia |
Officeholder Virginia State Senate District 15 |
Personal |
Footnotes
- ↑ Information submitted to Ballotpedia through the Candidate Connection survey on May 5, 2025
- ↑ WAMU, "What the six Democratic candidates for Virginia lieutenant governor say on the issues," May 13, 2025
- ↑ 8News, "What does Virginia’s Lieutenant Governor actually do?" May 27, 2025
- ↑ Ballotpedia, "2025 Candidate Connection Survey," accessed August 12, 2025
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 The Virginia Mercury, "Virginia lieutenant governor race questionnaire: Ghazala Hashmi," June 16, 2025
- ↑ The Richmond Times-Dispatch, "Richmond radio host John Reid announces run for lieutenant governor," January 27, 2025
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 John Reid Campaign Website, "Meet John," accessed August 12, 2025
- ↑ 8.0 8.1 The Virginia Mercury, "Virginia lieutenant governor race questionnaire: John Reid," June 16, 2025
- ↑ John Reid Campaign Website, "Workforce Freedom Agenda," accessed August 12, 2025
- ↑ 10.0 10.1 10.2 The Washington Post, "Opinion: Virginia’s governor and lieutenant governor should run as a team," March 21, 2023
- ↑ Note: This text is quoted verbatim from the original source. Any inconsistencies are attributable to the original source.
- ↑ Ghazala Hashmi's campaign website, “Issues,” accessed May 7, 2025
| Political offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Frank Ruff (R) |
Virginia State Senate District 15 2024-Present |
Succeeded by - |
| Preceded by Glen Sturtevant (R) |
Virginia State Senate District 10 2020-2024 |
Succeeded by John McGuire (R) |
