Democratic state Sen. Ghazala Hashmi made history Tuesday, defeating Republican radio host John Reid to become Virginia’s next lieutenant governor and the first Muslim woman ever elected to the post.
The Associated Press called the race for Hashmi at 8:28 p.m. Tuesday. With 57% of the ballots counted, Hashmi led with 53.1% of the vote to Reid’s 46.6%.
Hashmi’s victory delivers Democrats a key down-ballot win, flipping the lieutenant governor’s office and giving the party new momentum heading into 2026. The Richmond-area lawmaker, who flipped a GOP-held Senate seat in 2019, overcame Reid’s populist campaign amid lingering tensions between the nominee and Republican Gov. Glenn Youngkin’s allies.
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The lieutenant governor’s role in Virginia is largely ceremonial, though it carries the power to break ties in the
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