Ghazala Hashmi

Ghazala Hashmi assumed office as lieutenant governor of Virginia on January 17, 2026.. Notably, Hashmi is the first Asian American and Muslim elected to statewide office in Virginia, as well as the first Muslim woman to win statewide office in the United States.

Hashmi, born in 1964 in India and raised in Georgia, completed her B.A. in English at Georgia Southern University. Following, she earned an M.A. and a PhD in English from Emory University and then began a 25-year career as a professor and college administrator.

In 2019, Hashmi won her campaign for the Virginia Senate and won reelection in 2023.