Category: Ghazala hashmi
‘Place your left hand on the Quran’: Foreign-born lieutenant governor does not swear in on Bible
In one of the clearest examples of elections having consequences in recent times, Virginia’s new lieutenant governor’s swearing-in ceremony made history for its unorthodox changes.
On Saturday, Ghazala Firdous Hashmi took her oath of office to fill the lieutenant governor seat. However there was one major twist to the proceedings: Instead of placing her left hand on the Bible, Hashmi swore her oath on the Quran.
Hashmi sees her election and inauguration as a sign of Virginia’s ‘continued progress toward a more representative and inclusive democracy.’
“Place your left hand on the Quran,” the woman directing the inauguration instructed Hashmi.
“I, Ghazala Firdous Hashmi, do solemnly swear that I will support the Constitution of the United States,” she said during the ceremony.
RELATED: Progressive wins VA race despite admitted indifference to ‘sexually explicit material’ in schools
Photo by Win McNamee/Getty Images
According to her official website, Hashmi was born in Hyderabad, India, and was brought to the United States as a child.
She is the first Muslim woman to hold statewide office in the nation and the first South Asian-American to be elected to statewide office in Virginia.
Hashmi sees her election and inauguration as a sign of Virginia’s “continued progress toward a more representative and inclusive democracy.”
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Progressive wins VA race despite admitted indifference to ‘sexually explicit material’ in schools
Democrat Virginia state Sen. Ghazala Hashmi was elected to serve as Virginia’s lieutenant governor Tuesday night, defeating Republican strategist and radio host John Reid.
Hashmi won the election with 53.4% of the vote, while Reid garnered 46.3%, according to the Associated Press. Of the three major Virginia elections, this is the second race called in favor of the Democrats.
Polls had Reid and Hashmi polling neck and neck.
Although the race was projected to be neck and neck into election night, Hashmi pulled ahead by over 145,000 votes.
RELATED: Democrat holds a healthy lead for Virginia governor, but one scandal could throw downballot races
Photo by Max Posner for the Washington Post/Getty Images
Throughout the election cycle, Virginia Democrats were plagued with scandals related to violent and extreme rhetoric. Attorney General candidate Jay Jones infamously fantasized about murdering his political opponents, and Hashmi was on the record tolerating explicit content in children’s classrooms.
“One of my concerns is violence. We seem to focus on sexually explicit material,” Hashmi said in a video obtained by Blaze News. “I don’t really care about that.”
“We teach the books that other people try to ban,” Hashmi said.
Photo by Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images
Despite this, polls had Reid and Hashmi polling neck and neck.
Reid spent his time on the campaign trail focusing on the economy, lowering taxes, and slashing regulations, as well as defending law enforcement. Reid repeatedly called out Hashmi’s progressive track record.
Hashmi made abortion access a core value for her campaign despite Virginia’s lenient laws that allow abortion up to the third trimester. Hashmi also campaigned on tightening gun restrictions, as well as pitching herself as the anti-Trump candidate.
Although these social issues are not a priority for most of the state’s voters, Virginians ultimately cast their ballots in Hashmi’s favor.
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