We haven't talked too much about Virginia Lt. Gov. Ghazala Hashmi, but that needs to change starting now. She was elected last year alongside fellow Democrats Abigail "I'm a Moderate, Trust Me" Spanberger (governor) and Jay "Two Bullets" Jones (attorney general) – her current role is mostly ceremonial, but she's got big plans for her political future.
Trying to insert her name into the national conversation around the midterms, Hashmi is throwing her support behind Democrat Michigan Senate candidate Abdul El-Sayed, saying the two share not only a background in education and public service but a decidedly progressive policy agenda.
They are also both Muslim.
In her endorsement, she said El-Sayed's "priorities" align with her own, "including an economy that works for everyone, Medicare for All, affordable housing, clean air, water, and soil protections, and support for labor and the rights of working people.”
El-Sayed, in response, said Hashmi had "spent her career breaking barriers and opening doors for others."
We've got a real love connection going on here.
New: Virginia Lt. Gov. Ghazala Hashmi endorsed Michigan U.S. Senate candidate Abdul El-Sayed.
— Nick Minock (@NickMinock) September 16, 2026
“Dr. El-Sayed and I come from a shared tradition of education and public service, and we both understand the responsibilities that come with a focus on building resilient and healthy…
New: Virginia Lt. Gov. Ghazala Hashmi endorsed Michigan U.S. Senate candidate Abdul El-Sayed.
“Dr. El-Sayed and I come from a shared tradition of education and public service, and we both understand the responsibilities that come with a focus on building resilient and healthy communities,” said Hashmi. “My decision to endorse reflects my alignment with Dr. El-Sayed’s stated priorities, including an economy that works for everyone, Medicare for All, affordable housing, clean air, water, and soil protections, and support for labor and the rights of working people.”
“Lieutenant Governor Hashmi has spent her career breaking barriers and opening doors for others,” said Abdul El-Sayed. “Her leadership has always been about delivering for the people she serves—from lowering costs and expanding access to healthcare to defending reproductive freedom and voting rights. I’m proud to have her support as we fight together to put working people back at the center of our politics.”
Hashmi's record makes clear just how far to the left those shared priorities run.
She spent six years in the Virginia Senate pushing a radical, hard-left agenda: fewer restrictions on abortion, taxpayer-funded health coverage for children regardless of immigration status, a $15 minimum wage, government involvement in housing, and costly environmental mandates. She made no apologies for her record, boasting in 2025 that she had been a “champion for progressive legislation and goals.”
And then there was this. That's Hashmi on the campaign trail last year, ranting about the U.S. Constitution while an upside down American flag waves wildly next to her.
🚨AFTER The Polls tightened in VIRGINIA, the Democrats panicked and released their “October Surprise” smearing Lt. Governor Candidate John Reid.
— Walter Curt (@wcdispatch) October 1, 2025
Unsurprisingly, it’s a bunch of laughably absurd lies.
Meanwhile…
Radical Democrat Hashmi is desecrating the American flag at… pic.twitter.com/xrYlkXn4iQ
Also, this.
🚨 Pure Hypocrisy from Virginia’s Lt. Governor
— Yael Levin 🇺🇸🇮🇱🗽 (@Yael4Hanover) May 15, 2026
Ghazala Hashmi just posted glowing praise for Jewish American Heritage Month - celebrating our “countless contributions.”
Meanwhile, she stood front and center with a microphone at a pro-Hamas “WE STAND WITH PALESTINE!” rally in… pic.twitter.com/uR24MMVa8M
🚨 Pure Hypocrisy from Virginia’s Lt. Governor Ghazala Hashmi just posted glowing praise for Jewish American Heritage Month - celebrating our “countless contributions.”
Meanwhile, she stood front and center with a microphone at a pro-Hamas “WE STAND WITH PALESTINE!” rally in Richmond’s Monroe Park, speaking to the crowd right in front of this banner.
You can’t virtue-signal Jewish excellence while actively supporting the side that cheers Hamas terrorists and October 7th.
This is textbook two-faced pandering.
This matters because of these two plausible scenarios: Hashmi becomes governor of Virginia if/when Spanberger swans off to pursue her 2028 ambitions – likely as a vice presidential candidate – or Hashmi becomes governor when Spanberger's term is up in 2029.
Neither option is great for Virginia or the nation.
(One caveat: Republican Jason Miyares, the former attorney general, may well lodge a strong gubernatorial effort in '29, and former Gov. Glenn Youngkin has been asked about running again for a second term. Hashmi isn't a given, but she is a threat.)
The endorsement, then, is worth remembering. Hashmi says El-Sayed's priorities align with her own — and her six years in Richmond give Virginians a pretty good idea of what that means.
We've got another extremist on our hands.
Editor’s Note: The 2026 Midterms will determine the fate of President Trump’s America First agenda. Republicans must maintain control of both chambers of Congress.
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