XPost: alt.politics.immigration, alt.politics.elections, alt.politics.socialism.democratic
XPost: alt.fan.rush-limbaugh, sac.politics
State Sen. Ghazala Hashmi, D-Chester, has won the Democratic nomination
for Virginia's lieutenant governorship, according to The Associated
Press.
Hashmi, an immigrant from India, said on her campaign site that she is
the only candidate "endorsed by both abortion rights groups and labor."
Hashmi was locked in a close race with the top two contenders, former
Green Bay Packers safety Aaron Rouse and ex-Richmond Mayor Levar Stoney.
Hashmi will face GOP nominee John Reid in the state's general election
in November.
Stoney, who conceded on Wednesday, moved on to become mayor of Richmond,
the capital city, and oversaw the removal of several Confederate
sculptures that for decades lined the famous Monument Avenue from the
Fan District to downtown.
In the Washington Post at the time, Stoney wrote that there "are two
epidemics in America: COVID-19 and racism. One is now 14 months old, the
other over 400 years old. Both are lethal. I knew I wasn’t going to be
able to cure those issues that day [standing with protesters at Lee
Circle]."
More recently, Stoney told the Virginia Mercury that he would
effectively work across the aisle in the lieutenant governor’s dual role
of president of the Virginia State Senate.
"We will not agree on everything, and that is OK. I will be a happy warrior—someone who is willing to stand firm on values, speak up when
there is disagreement, and still find a way to work together when common
ground exists. Disagreement does not have to lead to dysfunction,"
Stoney said.
Rouse has positioned himself as a force to counter Republican leadership
in Washington, writing on his campaign site that he "stood up to Donald
Trump time and again."
He added that he shepherded a law through the legislature to protect
federal workers from Department of Government Efficiency attrition,
which he labeled "Musk’s chaos."
Other candidates in the race included Prince William County School Board
Chair Dr. Babur Lateef and union leader Alexander Bastani.
Hashmi, whose county directly abuts Richmond-Petersburg, positioned
herself as a progressive who emphasized support for public education,
abortion rights and affordable housing.
She also serves as chairwoman of the Senate Education and Health
Committee in Richmond.
Lateef, an ophthalmologist endorsed by McAuliffe, also focused on
education policy.
Bastani partially self-funded his quixotic campaign and focused on labor
and economic issues.
Former Rep. Abigail Spanberger, D-Va., ran unopposed for the Democratic gubernatorial nomination and was officially projected as such Tuesday
evening.
https://www.foxnews.com/politics/state-senator-indian-immigrant-pulls-ups et-virginia-democratic-lieutenant-governors-race
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