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Fox News
2 days ago
- Politics
- Fox News
State senator, Indian immigrant, pulls upset in Virginia Democratic lieutenant governor's race
State Sen. Ghazala Hashmi, D-Chester, has won the Democratic nomination for Virginia's lieutenant governorship, according to the Associated Press. Hashmi, an immigrant from India, said on her campaign site that she is the only candidate "endorsed by both abortion rights groups and labor." Hashmi was locked in a close race with the top two contenders, former Green Bay Packers safety Aaron Rouse and ex-Richmond Mayor Levar Stoney. Hashmi will face GOP nominee John Reid in the state's general election in November. Stoney, who conceded on Wednesday, moved on to become mayor of Richmond, the capital city, and oversaw the removal of several Confederate sculptures that for decades lined the famous Monument Avenue from the Fan District to downtown. In the Washington Post at the time, Stoney wrote that there "are two epidemics in America: COVID-19 and racism. One is now 14 months old, the other over 400 years old. Both are lethal. I knew I wasn't going to be able to cure those issues that day [standing with protesters at Lee Circle]." More recently, Stoney told the Virginia Mercury that he will effectively work across the aisle in the lieutenant governor's dual role of president of the Virginia State Senate. "We will not agree on everything, and that is OK. I will be a happy warrior—someone who is willing to stand firm on values, speak up when there is disagreement, and still find a way to work together when common ground exists. Disagreement does not have to lead to dysfunction," Stoney said. Rouse has positioned himself as a force to counter Republican leadership in Washington, writing on his campaign site that he "stood up to Donald Trump time and again." He added that he shepherded a law through the legislature to protect federal workers from Department of Government Efficiency attrition, which he labeled "Musk's chaos." Other candidates in the race included state Sen. Ghazala Hashmi, D-Chesterfield, Prince William County School Board Chair Dr. Babur Lateef and union leader Alexander Bastani. Hashmi, whose county directly abuts Richmond-Petersburg, positioned herself as a progressive who emphasized support for public education, abortion rights and affordable housing. She also serves as chairwoman of the Senate Education and Health Committee in Richmond. Lateef, an ophthalmologist endorsed by McAuliffe, also focused on education policy. Bastani partially self-funded his quixotic campaign and focused on labor and economic issues. Former Rep. Abigail Spanberger, D-Va., ran unopposed for the Democratic gubernatorial nomination and was officially projected such Tuesday evening.
CNN
2 days ago
- Politics
- CNN
Ghazala Hashmi wins Democratic nomination for Virginia lieutenant governor
The candidates for Virginia's lieutenant governor are set to make history after state Sen. Ghazala Hashmi won the Democratic nomination for the office on Wednesday. Hashmi is the first Muslim and the first Indian-American to be nominated for a Virginia statewide office. She defeated five other candidates, including Democrats Levar Stoney and Aaron Rouse, in a razor-thin primary race. Hashmi will now face Republican John Reid, the first out gay man to receive a major party's endorsement for statewide office in Virginia, who became the de-facto nominee after his primary opponent left the race. Her victory rounded out the Democratic ticket ahead of the November general election. It comes after former Virginia delegate Jay Jones became the party nominee for attorney general late Tuesday. Virginia's off-year elections typically draw national attention ahead of the 2026 midterms. Democrats held down-ballot races for their statewide ticket, which is being led by Abigail Spanberger, the party's nominee for governor. The former congresswoman, whose candidacy managed to avoid prospective primary challengers, will go up against Republican Lt. Gov. Winsome Earle-Sears, the only person to qualify for the GOP primary. Republicans did not hold statewide primaries this year, with only one candidate in each statewide contest advancing to the general election ballot. Earle-Sears became the Republican gubernatorial nominee after conservatives Dave LaRock and Amanda Chase failed to collect enough signatures to qualify for the ballot. Both LaRock and Chase initially criticized Earle-Sears for not being fully aligned with the White House. Reid, a conservative talk-radio host, secured the Republican nomination for lieutenant governor despite intraparty quarreling over whether he was tied to a social media account reposting pornography, a charge he vehemently denied. Virginia Attorney General Jason Miyares didn't face a Republican primary opponent as he seeks reelection. Hashmi was the first Muslim woman and the first South Asian American in Virginia's upper chamber. She emigrated from India when she was four years old, later moving to Richmond after getting a doctorate in American literature. She spent most of her career as a professor, first at the University of Richmond and then at Reynolds Community College. Hashmi began her career in the Virginia Senate six years ago after ousting incumbent Republican state Sen. Glen Sturtevant. She was reelected to her seat in 2023. In the Senate, Hashmi put forth bills establishing Virginians' right to contraception, which passed both chambers but were vetoed by Republican Gov. Glenn Youngkin.
Associated Press
2 days ago
- Politics
- Associated Press
Ghazala Hashmi wins Democratic nomination for Virginia lieutenant governor
RICHMOND, Va. (AP) — The candidates for Virginia's lieutenant governor are set to make history after Sen. Ghazala Hashmi won the Democratic nomination for lieutenant governor on Wednesday. Hashmi is the first Muslim and the first Indian-American to be nominated to appear on the ballot for a Virginia statewide office. She defeated five other candidates, including Democrats Levar Stoney and Aaron Rouse, to secure the nomination in a razor-thin primary race. Hashmi will now face Republican John Reid, the first openly gay man to receive a major party's endorsement for statewide office in Virginia, who became the de-facto nominee after his primary opponent left the race. Her victory rounded out the Democratic ticket ahead of the November general election. It comes after former Del. Jay Jones became the party nominee for attorney general late Tuesday. Virginia's off-year elections typically draw national attention as a possible bellwether for politicians as they head into midterms in 2026. Democrats held down-ballot races for their statewide ticket, which is being led by U.S. Rep. Abigail Spanberger, the party's nominee for governor. The former congresswoman, whose candidacy managed to avoid prospective primary challengers, will go up against Republican Lt. Gov. Winsome Earle-Sears, the only person to qualify for the GOP primary. Conservatives did not hold statewide primaries this year, with only one candidate in each statewide contest advancing to the general election ballot. Earle-Sears became the Republican gubernatorial nominee after conservatives Dave LaRock and Amanda Chase failed to collect enough signatures to qualify for the ballot. Both LaRock and Chase initially challenged Earle-Sears for not being fully aligned with the White House. Reid, a conservative talk-radio host, secured the Republican nomination for lieutenant governor despite intraparty quarreling over whether he was tied to a social media account reposting pornography, a charge he vehemently denied. Virginia Attorney General Jason Miyares sailed to his spot on the ballot after announcing his reelection bid. Hashmi's political career has been marked by its fair share of firsts: she was the first Muslim woman and the first South Asian American in Virginia's upper chamber. She emigrated from India to Georgia when she was four years old, later moving to Richmond after getting a doctorate in American literature. She spent most of her career as a professor, first at the University of Richmond and then at Reynolds Community College. The Democrat managed to distinguish herself by touting her legislative chops. Hashmi began her career in the Virginia Senate six years ago after ousting incumbent Republican Sen. Glen Sturtevant. She was reelected to her seat in 2023. In the Senate, Hashmi put forth bills establishing Virginians' right to contraception, which passed both chambers but were vetoed by Republican Gov. Glenn Youngkin. ___ Olivia Diaz is a corps member for The Associated Press/Report for America Statehouse News Initiative. Report for America is a nonprofit national service program that places journalists in local newsrooms to report on undercovered issues.
Extra.ie
2 days ago
- Entertainment
- Extra.ie
Tributes pour in as Westlife's hit songwriter dies 'suddenly' at 61
John Reid, the Scottish DJ, vocalist and songwriter best known as the founder of British-American house music group Nightcrawlers and co-writer of Westlife's hit 'Unbreakable', has died at the age of 61. Reid's death was confirmed by his former fiancée, singer Mary Kiani, in a post on Facebook. She did not disclose the cause of death but said he had died 'suddenly'. A key figure in the 1990s dance scene, Reid gained prominence as the voice behind the Nightcrawlers' single 'Push The Feeling On.' Although the original 1992 release had moderate success, it was the 1995 remix by US producer MK (Marc Kinchen) that transformed the track into a global club anthem. The single again found renewed popularity after being sampled in Pitbull's 2009 hit 'Hotel Room Service.' It is considered a dance music classic. Beyond his work with Nightcrawlers, Reid had a prolific career as a songwriter, contributing to singles for major artists including Tina Turner ('When the Heartache Is Over'), Rod Stewart, Eternal, Andrea Bocelli and Leona Lewis. He co-wrote 'A Moment Like This', originally performed by Kelly Clarkson and later a UK chart-topper for Lewis following her X Factor win. Tributes have been shared online by peers and fans alike. Speaking to the Daily Mail, vocal coach Chris Judge described Reid as 'an incredible Scottish singer with so much soul'.
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Politics
- Yahoo
Virginia Republicans pick radio host to run alongside Winsome Sears in race to replace Youngkin
Conservative Richmond radio host John Reid will be the Republican nominee for Virginia's lieutenant governorship, after running unopposed in Tuesday's statewide primary election. Reid was the only man left after Fairfax County Supervisor Pat Herrity – the rare Republican officeholder in the vote-rich but heavily Democratic Washington, D.C. metro -- bowed out of the contest last month citing health reasons. Reid has been a well-known Republican voice in central Virginia, previously serving on the Henrico County Republican Committee, as a delegate to the RNC in 2024 and as a top staffer to former Sen. George Allen, R-Va. Reid will join current Lt. Gov. Winsome Earle-Sears on the Republican ticket this fall, while Attorney General Jason Miyares joins them too in running for re-election. Gop Hopeful Earle-sears Unveils 'Axe-the-tax' Plan In Virginia Governors Race Reid has centered his campaign on a unity message to "grow" the GOP in a state where the political divide is numerically narrow, but marked in that Democrats are often the favored line in statewide elections. Read On The Fox News App The first point of his campaign message on his website centered around education versus "indoctrination." "His focus is on ensuring that our educational system imparts knowledge and critical thinking skills, not political bias, preparing students for success in a diverse world instead of creating radical activists," read a line on his website. On the hot topic of immigration, Reid's campaign said the candidate is "dedicated to enforcing immigration laws, not allowing localities to ignore them." His campaign also objected to "obliterating" U.S. heritage by conserving landmarks. Winsome Earle-sears Announces Va Gov Bid To Build On Youngkin Record: It's 'All About Business' Reid's campaign did run into a short-lived controversy when the former pundit – the first openly gay man to run statewide in Virginia – was subjected to lewd photos of himself being posted online. Reid denied any connection with the Tumblr account in question, but the controversy led some Republicans to briefly call for him to drop out. Reid, Earle-Sears and several top Virginia Republicans converged on Richmond Tuesday night to celebrate the primary winners across the board, including in the General Assembly's lower chamber. Democrats currently hold a two-seat majority in the 51-49 Virginia House of Delegates, where Republicans hope to make the narrow gains necessary to take control in November. Republicans face a tough road in that respect, and are defending several seats, particularly along the Richmond-Petersburg Turnpike corridor that were won by former President Joe Biden, former Vice President Kamala Harris – or both. One such member is Del. Kim Taylor, R-Petersburg, who flipped a "Biden+12" district in 2023 in what is the commonwealth's most-Democratic municipality per-capita. Dels. David Owen, R-Goochland, Carrie Coyner, R-Hopewell, and Amanda Batten, R-Williamsburg, all hold seats in Democrat-friendly territory. Miyares is running unopposed in Tuesday's attorney general primary, and Gov. Glenn Youngkin is article source: Virginia Republicans pick radio host to run alongside Winsome Sears in race to replace Youngkin
