Sen. Ghazala Hashmi visited Martinsville this week, delivering an introductory speech, meeting with voters, and stopping at Be Wiched Diner.
Hashmi, who represents Virginia’s 15th Senate District, is running for lieutenant governor on the Democratic ticket with a platform focused on education.
Born in India, she moved to the United States at age 4 with her brother and mother. She is the first Muslim and the first South Asian American to serve in the Virginia Senate. Hashmi earned a bachelor’s degree with honors from Georgia Southern University and a doctorate in American literature from Emory University in Atlanta.
“She worked as an educator and an academic administrator for 25 years before running for office,” said District 48 House of Delegates candidate Melody Cartwright, who introduced her. “Senator Hashmi wrote the bills to protect abortion rights and Medicaid in Virginia. She’s standing up to Trump and his attacks against both of those and so many more.”
Hashmi spoke about her multicultural background, recalling her 2019 campaign slogan: “Ghazala Hashmi is an American name.”
“I asked our voters that question — do you recognize me as a fellow American? Do you recognize me as a fellow Virginian? And when we flipped that red seat in Richmond in 2019 for the Virginia Senate, my voters in the Richmond area overwhelmingly proved that Ghazala Hashmi is an American name,” she said.
She criticized political division, particularly from former President Donald Trump, and pledged to defend abortion rights, same-sex marriage, and education.
“We are fighting for justice for every person that lives in our Commonwealth, and especially for those who have been historically marginalized,” she said.
Hashmi also highlighted her work on rural issues. When she first joined the Senate, she requested to serve on the Agriculture, Conservation and Natural Resources Committee.
“I work very closely with so many of our farming communities, making sure that we’re providing resources and services,” she said.
On rural healthcare, Hashmi called the situation “of grave concern,” noting efforts to support community health workers, expand licensing opportunities for doulas, and bolster public health departments.
“We’re on the brink of significant changes,” she said, warning that federal cutbacks to Medicaid could create a “real crisis” for rural hospitals.
Hashmi also emphasized job creation, particularly through education and industry partnerships.
“Our community college or other institutions of higher education, target areas of curricular programs, degree programs that will lead to jobs [and] attract new companies to come to this area,” she said. “I see a lot of promise around our green industries.”
She called bringing green industries to Martinsville “a recipe for real growth” and urged voters to send a message in November.
“We’re gonna go forward this November, send a loud message to Washington, send a loud message to MAGA extremists that we are standing up for the values that Virginians truly care about.”
