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Time of India
a day ago
- Politics
- Time of India
Who is Ghazala Hashmi? Indian-American wins lieutenant governor nomination; Democrat to contest Virginia race
Source- Instagram Senator Ghazala Hashmi made history on Wednesday by winning the Democratic nomination for lieutenant governor of Virginia. She is now the first Muslim and the first Indian-American ever nominated for a statewide office in Virginia. Hashmi defeated five Democratic candidates, including former Richmond Mayor Levar Stoney, clinching the nomination by a razor-thin margin of less than one percentage point. She will now face Republican John Reid in November. Reid is the first openly gay man nominated by a major party for statewide office in Virginia. With Hashmi joining gubernatorial nominee Rep. Abigail Spanberger and attorney general candidate Jay Jones, Democrats have now completed their statewide ticket. The general election could be historic in multiple ways, including the possibility of Virginia electing its first woman governor. Who is Ghazala Hashmi? Hashmi is the first Muslim woman and first South Asian American elected to Virginia's state Senate. She was born in India and moved to the US at age 4, settling in Georgia with her family. Hashmi holds a PhD in American literature and spent most of her professional life as a professor. She taught at the University of Richmond and later at Reynolds Community College before entering politics. In 2019, she entered the Virginia Senate by defeating Republican Glen Sturtevant in a closely watched race. She was re-elected in 2023. In the Senate, she championed reproductive rights. One of her key bills aimed to protect Virginians' access to contraception. The bill passed both chambers but was vetoed by Governor Glenn Youngkin.
2 days ago
- Politics
Ghazala Hashmi wins Democratic nomination for Virginia lieutenant governor
RICHMOND, Va. -- 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 Democrat Levar Stoney by less than a percentage point, to secure the nomination in a razor-thin primary race. Stoney congratulated Hashmi on Wednesday in a concession statement. 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. 'As the Democratic ticket running to serve as Virginia's next Governor, Lieutenant Governor, and Attorney General, we are united in our focus on the issues that matter to our fellow Virginians,' Hashmi, Jones and U.S. Rep. Abigail Spanberger, the nominee for governor, said in a joint statement Wednesday morning. Virginia's off-year elections typically draw national attention as a possible bellwether for politicians as they head into midterms in 2026. And this year, the election is also sure to make history. Spanberger, who ran for the Democratic nomination unopposed, will battle Republican Lt. Gov. Winsome Earle-Sears in the governor's race. The female nominees all but guarantee that Virginia will have a woman for governor, which is a first in the state's some 250-year history dating back to Patrick Henry's governorship. 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.
Time of India
2 days ago
- Politics
- Time of India
Who is Ghazala Hashmi, the Democratic candidate for Virginia Lieutenant Governor?
Ghazala Hashmi has made history as the first Muslim and first Indian-American to win the Democratic nomination for Lieutenant Governor of Virginia. She was chosen by a major party to run for a statewide office in the state. She will now face Republican John Reid in the general election in November, as per the reports. She beat five other Democratic candidates, including Levar Stoney, by less than 1% in a very close primary race. Levar Stoney conceded and congratulated Hashmi. Hashmi will run against Republican John Reid, who is the first openly gay man to be nominated by a major party for a statewide office in Virginia, according to the Associated Press. Reid became the Republican nominee after his only opponent dropped out of the race. Hashmi's win completed the Democratic team for Virginia's general election in November. Jay Jones was chosen as the Democratic nominee for Attorney General the day before. In a joint statement, Hashmi, Jones, and Abigail Spanberger said they are united on important issues for Virginians, as per the reports. More about Ghazala Hashmi Ghazala Hashmi moved to the U.S. from India at the age of 4, settling first in Georgia. Later, she moved to Richmond, Virginia, after getting a Ph.D. in American literature. She worked as a professor at the University of Richmond and then at Reynolds Community College, as stated by the Associated Press. Hashmi entered the Virginia Senate six years ago after defeating Republican Sen. Glen Sturtevant. She was reelected to the Senate in 2023. In the Senate, she introduced a bill to protect the right to contraception in Virginia. The bill passed both chambers, but was vetoed by Republican Governor Glenn Youngkin, as per reports. Live Events Who else is running in Virginia? Virginia's elections usually get a lot of national attention, especially before midterm elections like the one in 2026. This year's election will be historic no matter what. Spanberger ran unopposed in the Democratic primary and will face Republican Lt. Gov. Winsome Earle-Sears for Governor, according to the reports by Associated Press. Since both major candidates for Governor are women, Virginia will likely have its first woman Governor in its 250-year history. Republicans didn't hold any statewide primaries this year. Only one candidate per office went forward to the general election. Earle-Sears became the Republican candidate for Governor after Dave LaRock and Amanda Chase failed to get enough signatures to qualify, as per the reports. FAQs Q1. Who is Ghazala Hashmi running against? She will face Republican John Reid in the general election. Q2. Why is this election historic? Virginia may get its first woman Governor and has many diverse candidates.
Mint
2 days ago
- Politics
- Mint
The strange history of the tribe courted by Donald Trump
For almost a century and a half, the federal government denied the Lumbee, the largest tribe east of the Mississippi, recognition. Now, nearly everyone in Washington is trying to give it to them. 'I love the Lumbee tribe,' President Donald Trump said on his third full day in office, as he signed a memorandum ordering the secretary of the interior to, within 90 days, submit a plan to help the Lumbee gain full federal recognition. The president isn't the only one showing the Lumbee love. Last October, while campaigning on behalf of Kamala Harris in North Carolina, Bill Clinton made a swing through Pembroke, the seat of the tribal government. Donald Trump junior was nearby holding a rally filled with 'Lumbees for Trump' signs. During the campaign both presidential candidates called John Lowery, the Lumbee tribal chairman, to promise full federal recognition. Also last year, the House of Representatives passed the Lumbee Fairness Act, which would extend recognition to the tribe, 311 to 96, only to see it stall in the Senate. The Lumbee have been accustomed to living in this federal limbo, which has been their state for more than half a century. In 1956 President Dwight Eisenhower signed the Lumbee Act, a measure that recognised the tribe as American Indians while also excluding them from federal money and the other privileges that most tribes have. Lacking full recognition, the Lumbee are still not able to get access to federal Indian health care, to put land in a reservation-like trust or to build a casino. The main reason for this is the tribe's unusual history. There is no record of the Lumbee having spoken any language other than English. Your correspondent, whose great-great-great-grandmother was a Lumbee, grew up being told this was because the tribe was the remnant of Sir Walter Raleigh's 'lost colony'. A more plausible explanation is that the tribe's origin lies in multiple tribes escaping violence and disease in early encounters with English colonists. These different groups fled to the swamplands of North Carolina where they spoke English as a lingua franca. Compounding the origin question is the fact that the Lumbee had trouble agreeing on what their name was. Outsiders branded them the Siouan, the Tuscarora, the Croatan and the Cherokee Indians of Robeson County. It was not until 1953 that most settled on the name Lumbee. 'The naming issue has continued to plague us,' said David E. Wilkins, a Lumbee tribe member and University of Richmond professor. Today the biggest sceptics of Lumbee recognition are other Indians. Last October the National Congress of American Indians was forced to apologise when they found participants distributing cards warning Lumbee recognition would endanger the status of other tribes. Pretendian Watch, a self-appointed policer of those pretending to be Indians, called the Lumbee 'a made up tribe who is actively stealing Tuscarora culture'. The Eastern Band of the Cherokee Indians (EBCI), North Carolina's only fully recognised tribe, have become the Lumbee's main adversary, repeatedly arguing that they are not real Indians. 'The Lumbee have failed to meet the criteria to prove their claim of being a legitimate Native Nation and are relying on the sympathy of legislators to gain federal recognition,' the EBCI's principal chief, Michell Hicks, said in January. His attacks have earned him a reprimand from the state's Commission of Indian Affairs, which said his claims were 'shameful, counterproductive' and also 'baseless and have been disproved on numerous occasions'. This rivalry goes back decades. In 1974 the EBCI's then principal chief, John Crowe, threatened Vine Deloria, an Indian activist, saying that many Cherokee wanted to 'bury your heart and other assorted pieces of anatomy at Wounded Knee' for his support of Lumbee recognition. The Cherokee point to questions about the Lumbee's identity, but the reason they resist recognising the tribe is money. If given full recognition, the Lumbee, whose land lies beside I-95, one of America's busiest highways, would probably build a casino and siphon off money from Cherokee gaming revenues. Of course, questioning a tribe's Indianness as a means to thwart an inconvenient casino is a strategy others have tried before. 'They don't look like Indians to me,' then casino mogul Donald Trump said in his 1993 testimony before Congress, explaining why he thought the Pequot should not be allowed to build a casino near his own. Although the 90-day deadline passed in April, the Department of the Interior has still not issued its report. Representatives have reintroduced the Lumbee Fairness Act. But over the past 130 years, 29 similar bills have been introduced in Congress. Eight of them passed the House but failed in the Senate. Mr Wilkins, the historian, suggests this time might be different. But then he shrugged and said, 'I am not holding my breath. Otherwise, I would have turned blue many years ago.'
Toronto Star
2 days ago
- Politics
- Toronto Star
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. ARTICLE CONTINUES BELOW 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. ARTICLE CONTINUES BELOW ARTICLE CONTINUES BELOW 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. Read more on the U.S. Election at
