Ghazala Hashmi declares victory as Democratic nominee for Virginia lieutenant governor

RICHMOND, Va. (WRIC) -- Though the election remains too close to call, Sen. Ghazala Hashmi (D-Chesterfield) has declared herself the victor in the race to become the Virginia Democrats' candidate for lieutenant governor.

On Tuesday, June 17, Virginians took to the polls to choose the Democratic nominee for November's lieutenant governor race. It was a packed ballot, with six potential nominees vying for Virginians' votes.

It was an extremely tight race between Stoney and Sen. Ghazala Hashmi and former Richmond mayor Levar Stoney, with Sen. Aaron Rouse (D-Virginia Beach) also catching up later in the night.

As of about 10:50 p.m. Tuesday, the Associated Press has Hashmi in the lead with 27.39% of the vote. Stoney and Rouse are close behind, with 26.64% and 26.32% of the vote, respectively -- meaning they are all within about 1% of one another.

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Hashmi has since declared victory. However, the Associated Press has not called this race due to how close these tallies are.

Hashmi currently represents District 15 -- made up of parts of Chesterfield County and the city of Richmond -- in Virginia's state Senate. She was both the first Muslim and the first South Asian American to serve in Virginia’s General Assembly when she took her Senate seat in 2020.

“We need someone who, as lieutenant governor, can serve as a strong bridge between the executive branch [and] the legislative chambers,” Hashmi previously told 8News in an interview. “Making sure that we’re focused on policy decisions that are really going to have an impact on Virginia’s families.”

A former educator, investing in public education is a top priority for Hashmi. Other areas of focus for her include “voting rights and the preservation of democracy, reproductive freedom, gun violence prevention, the environment, housing and affordable healthcare access,” per her campaign website.

All election results are unofficial until certified. If the results remain this close, the race could potentially be recalled by Stoney — and if the difference between them remains under 1%, the state of Virginia will foot the bill for said recall.

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If Hashmi is declared the winner and those results are certified, she will become the running mate of the Democratic candidate for governor, former Congresswoman Abigail Spanberger.

The two will then face off against Republican current Lt. Gov. Winsome Earle-Sears and her running mate, former radio host John Reid.