Ghazala Hashmi

ON THE ISSUES

• Wrote and championed the Environmental Justice Act, defining environmental justice in Code and making it the policy of the Commonwealth.
• Co-patroned the Virginia Clean Economy Act, legislation that will position Virginia to meet an affordable and reliable zero-carbon electricity grid by 2050.
• Required the State Corporation Commission to establish energy efficiency savings targets for Dominion customers who are low-income, elderly, disabled, or veterans.

WHY THIS RACE MATTERS

• Toss-up race Lieutenant Governor race - flipping this seat to pro-environment leadership will help make Virginia a national climate leader at the state level
• Current Virginia State Senator
• Ghazala Hashmi is the first Indian-American to be nominated on the ballot for a Virginia statewide office

CANDIDATE BACKGROUND

A lifelong educator, Ghazala Hashmi has been a fierce champion for our environment and our communities since she was first elected to the General Assembly. No stranger to tough fights, she won a highly contested primary in 2019 before beating a popular incumbent Republican and flipping the seat that gave Democrats control of the State Senate. Her victory allowed Virginia’s legislature to pass some of the most extensive environmental legislation in our state’s history, including her Environmental Justice Act, the Virginia Clean Economy Act, Virginia’s participation in the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative (RGGI), Clean Car Standards, and more. Now, with a Republican governor, Ghazala has been a decisive part of the Virginia Democratic brick wall holding back the GOP’s attacks on our environmental progress, and she's running for Lieutenant Governor to move Virginia forward.