RICHMOND, Va. — The race for lieutenant governor began with a crowded Democratic primary and a Republican nominee Gov. Glenn Youngkin initially called on to drop out. Now, the race between Democrat Ghazala Hashmi, a state senator, and Republican John Reid, a former radio host, has become one of the closest on the statewide ticket.
Candidate backgrounds
Hashmi was born in India before her family moved to the United States in 1969, when she was four years old.
She received her bachelor of arts in English from Georgia Southern University and later earned her Ph.D. in English from Emory University.
Hashmi then became a professor at the University of Richmond and later at J. Sargeant Reynolds Community College, where she taught for 30 years.
Hashmi ran a successful campaign to represent Virginia's 10th District in the state senate in 2019. She unseated incumbent Republican Glen Sturtevant, becoming the first Muslim elected to the Virginia Senate.
Reid is a "lifelong Virginian," according to his campaign website.
Before seeking the lieutenant governorship, Reid says he worked as an intern under President Ronald Reagan, as communications director for Sen. George Allen, and as chief communications officer for Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America, according to his campaign website. Reid later worked in broadcasting — most notably as a conservative talk radio host on the WRVA Morning Show.
Reid is openly gay and would become the highest-elected member of the LGBTQ+ community in Virginia if he wins on Tuesday.
An unorthodox primary election
Reid became the Republican nominee after his only opponent, Fairfax County supervisor Pat Harrity, withdrew from the election citing health concerns. Then, The Richmonder reported Youngkin called on Reid to drop out of the race.
This is because a Tumblr account, under the same username that Reid used, had sexually explicit photos of men on its feed, The Richmonder reported. This prompted Reid to respond to the allegations in a video posted on social media. Reid previously said the controversy is based on "false accusations from people who we now know are solely motivated to stage a coup against a gay man whom they didn't want to be their nominee but didn't have the guts to run against."
Reid's legal team sent a cease and desist letter to Matt Moran, the executive director of Youngkin's political action committee. The letter claims Moran made "false and defamatory statements" about Reid, which led to Youngkin pushing to end Reid's campaign.
During a press event in Arlington on April 29, Youngkin said he had a "very serious personal conversation" with Reid, stating, "social media content like this is a distraction."
In the Democratic primary, Hashmi narrowly beat out five other candidates for the nomination.
Hashmi, Sen. Aaron Rouse of Virginia Beach, Prince William County School Board Chairman Babur Lateef, former Richmond Mayor Levar Stoney, and former federal government attorneys Alex Bastani and Victor Salgado all ran for the Democratic nomination.
Hashmi, Stoney and Rouse each earned between 26-27% of votes from 98% of reporting precincts in the primary; Hashmi declared victory later that night, while Stoney conceded the following day.
Interviews with both candidates
News 3 interviewed both candidates in Virginia’s lieutenant governor race on Sept. 16, three days before early voting began.
"You don't want people who have been kissing butt to try and climb the political ladder. You want people who come in with a fresh set of eyes and open mind and open heart who will also battle to do what's right for the people of Virginia," explained Reid.
"We need someone who is experienced, who is capable, who has relationships across both chambers and across the aisles and across all of our state agencies," said Hashmi.
During the interview, Reid called on Hashmi to debate him. WTKR News 3 asked the Democratic nominee if she plans to accept his challenge.
"It's much more valuable and productive to me to hear directly from our voters to understand the issues and then be able to address the concerns and then start formulating policy responses," said Hashmi. "That's a better use of my time."
"I think that's a disqualifier," said Reid. "I think if you're running for statewide office in Virginia, you should be prepared to stand up and answer questions about what you believe, about your career, about your experience, about the good decisions, bad decisions you may have made."
An AI-generated debate
In what became arguably the most publicized part of the race, Reid staged a fake debate between himself and an AI-version of Hashmi.
The video, which used an AI moderator, was posted on YouTube and gained national attention, sparking conversation about the current intersection of AI and American politics. Reid's campaign maintained that he was not provided questions in advance and Hashmi's responses were generated based on actual quotes and policy positions from the Democrat.
The statement below was taken from press release issued from the Reid campaign:
“Unlike even the real debates where every candidate gets days of preparation, this tape was my one and only take. Virginians can see exactly how I respond when I don’t get to hide behind consultants or scripts. My opponent has had months to prepare; she’s simply chosen silence," said John Reid, “It’s unfortunate that a sitting State Senator is either too afraid of her own record or too calculating to face the voters directly. But I will always stand on my own two feet, and in an unscripted format, answer questions from the media and the public. That’s what leadership looks like.”
In response, Ava Pitruzzello, a spokesperson for the Ghazala for Virginia campaign, shared a statement:
“John Reid’s failed use of deepfakes is a desperate move straight out of Donald Trump’s playbook. While we appreciate that AI Ghazala did share her vision like her commitment to public education and reproductive rights — it's pretty clear, Reid only cares about shoddy gimmicks and not governing. Maybe he should focus on voters instead of videos. And hasn’t he gotten in enough trouble online already?”
Polling performances
The most recent polls released from Christopher Newport University and Virginia Commonwealth University show narrow leads for Hashmi.
In CNU's latest poll, Reid trailed Hashmi by two percentage points in a 47% to 45% split.
In VCU’s latest poll, Hashmi led by just one percentage point, 44% to 43%.
Hashmi's lead in both polls both falls within their margins of error.
Price tag of the campaign trail
The lieutenant governor’s race has been the least expensive of the three statewide contests, according to the Virginia Public Access Project.
Hashmi holds a notable fundraising lead, with over $8.1 million raised compared to Reid's $1.7 million.
