State Sen. Ghazala Hashmi was an educator and an academic administrator before being elected in 2019 to represent Virginia’s 15th District, which covers much of Chesterfield County.
Now, Hashmi is hoping to preside over the Senate as Virginia’s next lieutenant governor. She is the only woman of the six candidates in the June 17 Democratic primary for the statewide position. The winner will face Republican John Reid for the office currently occupied by Republican gubernatorial nominee Winsome Earle-Sears.
VPM News state politics reporter Jahd Khalil recently spoke to Hashmi about her campaign, as part of a series of conversations with all six Democratic candidates for the state’s No. 2 job. (You can find links to the other interviews at the bottom of this page.)
Hashmi says she has the most legislative experience of all of the candidates running. She spoke about the cost of childcare, the threat of cuts to Medicaid and the importance of protecting reproductive rights.
This interview has been lightly edited for clarity.
Jahd Khalil: Senator, can you tell us why Democrats should pick you to be their nominee for lieutenant governor?
Ghazala Hashmi: I think one thing that voters are looking for, particularly in this election cycle, is someone that has the experience, the knowledge and the ability to really fight for Virginians. We're in a moment of historic crisis right now, given the chaos that's coming out of Washington, the impacts that we are seeing — especially on our federal workforce, which is impacting Virginians disproportionately compared to so many other states.
Voters need to have the assurance that the executive team that we elect this November is ready and prepared on day one to fight to protect Virginians.
You've talked a lot about President Donald Trump, and have appeared at protests that he's a subject of. Can you explain how you take on the president in your official duties as lieutenant governor?
The actions that we are seeing from the Trump administration are having a direct impact on Virginians all across the board. Very specifically right now, the impacts that we are seeing are going to be to our health care system, with the loss of federal funding to Medicaid — and Medicaid expansion in particular — and also the dismantling of the US Department of Education. That impact is going to be felt on our public education, most especially to Title I schools, to our most vulnerable students.
If I'm talking about Trump, it is because of the impacts that we are seeing in Virginia coming from this administration, and the need to respond with effective legislative and budget decisions that are going to protect our most vulnerable citizens. When we're thinking about Medicaid expansion, that is over 630,000 Virginians — we're talking about seniors, we're talking about individuals with disabilities and our vulnerable children.
We have to be ready. We have to be prepared to respond to those dramatic cuts. We have to do everything we can to protect health care access all across Virginia.
You're the only woman in this race for the Democratic nomination. How does that affect the choice that [voters] would be making?
In addition to being the only woman in the campaign, I am the most qualified. I've had the longest years of legislative experience. I have an actual legislative track record that I hope voters will take a look at and review. But being a woman in this particular period and time in history is so critically important. The issues that impact so many families across Virginia are issues that women face first as they support their families, their children, and we have to respond effectively.
We're talking about the crisis in affordable child care. So many working families cannot afford to have high quality child care, and yet both parents need to work, and it is an issue that disproportionately impacts working women in particular. Also, concerns such as paid family and sick leave, when we're talking about the ways in which so many caretakers are responsible for aging loved ones or for young children. It, again, disproportionately impacts the lives of women.
So, in considering issues of economic opportunity, educational opportunity, ensuring that there is safe and affordable housing and child care — all of these issues are front and center for women, and having the perspective as a woman is critical in responding to that.
The biggest issue, too, for so many women — all throughout the United States and here in Virginia — is protecting our access to reproductive health care. We've got a constitutional amendment that is on the line, coming up again for vote in this 2026 General Assembly [session]. I helped to draft the language in that constitutional amendment. I understand how vital reproductive health care is for so many millions of individuals in Virginia, and we're going to have to have effective voices to not just understand the legislation, but to champion it.
I was interested in something that you said in the debate. You talked about being an English teacher, and I think it was getting at the question of style and substance in politics. Can you talk about what you meant, and what voters should know about that?
A lot of the folks who are running for this particular seat talk about actions that [neither] the lieutenant governor nor anybody in state government can actually do. There's a lot of issues on the federal level that our state government is not in a position to address.
We don't have the authority to do that, but what we can do is create the responses at the state level that are necessary to focus on issues around health care, child care, educational opportunities. I have not just a working knowledge of what the state government does, but I have built solid relationships across state agencies and our different departments — and also with my colleagues in both the House [of Delegates] and the Senate. Having those strong relationships enables us to move on policy issues and to do it in an effective and coordinated way.
Can you talk a bit about what you're hearing from voters on the campaign trail and any moments that stand out to you?
I think a lot of voters are recognizing the fact that as the only woman in the race, I have a unique perspective. But in addition to that, I represent so many different communities that have felt marginalized historically in the political process.
As a member of the Virginia Asian American and Pacific Islander Caucus — as a founding member of that caucus — I have a bird's eye view to what's happening in our immigrant communities and the communities that are working to make Virginia home, and I've been able to pass legislation that impacts so many different diverse communities.
Being able to articulate and speak to the issues that face all of Virginia is important, and this has been what a lot of voters are responding to.
Is there anything else that we didn't hit on that you think is important for voters to know?
I would like to just expand a little bit further on the critical issue of reproductive health care that is facing all Virginia families. You know, for the past two years, I've carried an additional bill — the right to contraception act. The General Assembly has passed it twice. Gov. [Glenn] Youngkin has twice vetoed it.
A lot of people will say, “Why is that necessary? We can get contraception easily, and it is accessible.” Well, it's accessible because of the laws that protect that right, and we just celebrated a few days ago the 60th anniversary of the passing of the Griswold v. Connecticut decision that finally enabled Americans in 1965 to access contraception legally.
Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas and others, including Donald Trump, have indicated that they are ready to roll back that decision, and if they do that, the right to contraception is in jeopardy. It will be returned to the states. And, in fact, Virginia does not presently have a protection for the right to access contraception. That's why it's essential that we have leadership that understands the complexity of these issues and that's ready to fight for everyone to ensure that rights are protected.
Read VPM News’ interviews with other June primary candidates:
Lieutenant Governor: Levar Stoney | Babur Lateef | Alex Bastani | Victor Salgado | Aaron Rouse
Attorney General: Jay Jones | Shannon Taylor
Richmond Commonwealth's Attorney: Tom Barbour and Colette McEachin
