RICHMOND, Va. — Democrat Ghazala Firdous Hashmi was sworn in as Virginia’s lieutenant governor, placing her hand on her family Quran during the ceremony at the Virginia State Capitol. This marked a significant historic milestone as the first Muslim woman elected to statewide office in the United States.
The inauguration took place at the Virginia State Capitol, where Hashmi was administered the oath by Virginia Supreme Court Chief Justice Cleo E. Powell. Hashmi placed her left hand on the family Quran while raising her right hand. She also incorporated an original 1799 version of the U.S. Constitution, on loan from the Virginia Museum of History and Culture, blending her faith with American constitutional tradition, as detailed in pre-inauguration coverage by Cardinal News.
Virginia’s Lt Governor, Ghazala Firdous Hashmi, who was born in India, was sworn in on the Quran today.
— AF Post (@AFpost) January 18, 2026
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Hashmi, born in Hyderabad, India, on July 5, 1964, emigrated to the United States at age 4 with her mother and older brother, joining her father in Georgia. She grew up in Statesboro, Georgia, where she graduated as valedictorian from high school, earned a bachelor’s degree magna cum laude in English from Georgia Southern University, and later completed a PhD in English at Emory University.
Before entering politics, Hashmi built a career as an educator and academic administrator, serving as a visiting assistant professor at the University of Richmond and as a professor at J. Sargeant Reynolds Community College, where she founded the Center for Excellence in Teaching and Learning. She moved to the Richmond area in 1991 with her husband, Azhar Rafiq, and the couple raised two daughters, both graduates of Chesterfield County Public Schools and the University of Virginia.
Hashmi first made history in 2019 when she was elected to the Virginia State Senate, becoming the first Muslim and first South Asian American to serve in that body, as well as the first woman to represent her district. She rose to chair the Senate Education and Health Committee.
In 2025, Hashmi ran for lieutenant governor, narrowly winning the Democratic primary before defeating Republican nominee John Reid in the general election on November 4, 2025. Final certified results showed Hashmi receiving 55.65% of the vote (1,900,104 votes) to Reid’s 44.09% (1,505,395 votes), for an approximately 11-percentage-point margin. Her victory positioned her as the first Muslim woman, first person of Indian origin, and first South Asian American to hold statewide office in Virginia — and nationally as the first Muslim woman elected to statewide office in the U.S.
The swearing-in ceremony was part of a broader historic inauguration day for Virginia Democrats. Abigail Spanberger was sworn in as the state’s first female governor, and Jay Jones became the first Black attorney general. Hashmi’s use of the Quran during the oath has been celebrated by supporters as a powerful symbol of religious diversity and inclusion in American public life.
In her first official act as Virginia’s governor, Abigail Spanberger signed Executive Order No. 10 (2026), repealing former Governor Glenn Youngkin’s Executive Order No. 47 (2025), which had mandated state and local law enforcement agencies to cooperate with federal immigration enforcement through Section 287(g) agreements with ICE.
BREAKING: Abigail Spanberger's first act as Governor of Virginia was to repeal Glenn Youngkin's executive order that mandated state and local law enforcement cooperate with ICE. Let’s go. pic.twitter.com/PUF5ikraM0
— Democratic Wins Media (@DemocraticWins) January 17, 2026
As lieutenant governor, Hashmi will preside over the Virginia Senate and serve as a key figure in advancing priorities including reproductive rights, public education, health care access, and voting protections — issues she championed during her time in the Senate.
This moment underscores Virginia’s evolving political landscape and the growing representation of diverse communities in statewide leadership.
