Virginia state Sen. Ghazala Hashmi on Tuesday became the first Muslim American woman elected to statewide office in the U.S. with her victory in the state’s lieutenant governor’s race, NBC News projects.
Her historic victory comes the same night that former Rep. Abigail Spanberger, whom NBC News projects as the winner in Virginia’s governor’s race, became the first woman elected governor in the state.
This is the second time Hashmi has made history in an election; in 2019 she was the first Muslim American woman elected to Virginia’s state Legislature. Since then, Hashmi has served in the statehouse representing a district southwest of Washington, D.C.
Last month, Hashmi told The Washington Post that she hoped voters would send a message showing that they’re “not divided” on “lines of bigotry.”
“We’re really showing the rest of the country that Virginia is in a position where we embrace diversity,” she said.
Spanberger and Hashmi, both Democrats, ran alongside other members of their party seeking statewide office in Virginia, but governors and lieutenant governors are elected separately in the state.
Virginia’s lieutenant governor holds few official responsibilities, but the person can serve as a crucial tie-breaker in the state Senate and is first-in-line to succeed the governor in the case of death or resignation.
Several lieutenant governors in the state have used the position as a launching pad for gubernatorial campaigns, including Lt. Gov. Winsome Earle-Sears, the Republican nominee for governor this year.
“Lieutenant Governor-elect Hashmi ran a brilliantly focused campaign all about lowering costs, growing Virginia’s economy, and ensuring our kids have access to high-quality child care and education,” Democratic National Committee Chair Ken Martin said in a statement.
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