Another Indian-born Muslim Democrat wins US elections to become Lieutenant Governor of Virginia. Who is Ghazala Hashmi?

After Zohran Mamdani’s historic win as New York City Mayor, Ghazala Hashmi, another Indian-origin Muslim Democrat, will be elected as the Lieutenant Governor of Virginia.

She is the first Muslim woman projected to win a statewide office in any US state, reported CNN. She would be winning by defeating former conservative talk-show host John Reid with 53.2 per cent of the votes to 46.6 per cent.

Meanwhile Democrat Aftab Pureval, who is also of Indian-origin has been re-elected at the Mayor of Cincinnati defeating Republican Cory Bowman, a relative of JD Vance. 

As Lieutenant Governor, Hashmi will be taking over from the incumbent Republican Winsome Earle-Sears, who was the first woman and woman of colour to be elected in the state of Virginia.

Virginia is one of the 17 U.S. states where lieutenant governors are elected separately from the governor. Democrat Abigail Spanberger is projected to become the governor of the State.

The lieutenant governor will preside over the state senate and break ties in the chamber.

Hashmi had defeated five members of the party in the primaries and won the nomination with 28 per cent of the vote. In 2019, she was elected to the state senate, defeating a Republican incumbent. She helped flip the chamber and became its first Muslim and Indian American.

In a statement made after she was announced the winner, she said, “Virginia has chosen leadership that lifts people instead of tearing them down. Together, we have proven that, in Virginia, a child’s name, a family’s personal struggles, and a community’s identity are not barriers to belonging.”

During the campaigns, her opponent, Reid, posted an AI-generated video of himself debating Hashmi after she declined to debate him on stage. Hashmi chose to focus on her message about reproductive rights and classroom equality during her campaign.

Hashmi, 61, was born in Hyderabad and moved to Savannah, Georgia, when she was four. Before entering politics, she was an educator and academic professor at a university in Virginia.

World