Virginia lieutenant governor race questionnaire: Ghazala Hashmi

Democrat Ghazala Hashmi is one of seven contenders vying to be Virginia’s next lieutenant governor. (Photo courtesy campaign)

With seven contenders vying to become Virginia’s next lieutenant governor, the Mercury asked all the hopefuls to answer a questionnaire covering their political and legislative experiences and their policy positions on policy that shapes citizens’ lives. Here are Democrat Ghazala Hashmi’s responses.

Virginia’s constitution stipulates that the lieutenant governor presides over the state Senate. How has your legislative or political experience prepared you for that role?

Hashmi: With my six years of experience as a state Senator and nearly 30 years of professional engagement as an educator, I am uniquely qualified to bring a significant level of expertise, legislative accomplishments, and critical insights to the role of Lieutenant Governor. In addition to the full range of education issues (inclusive of K-12 and higher education), I have focused my efforts on health care, housing, the environment and Virginia’s energy needs. As the Chair of Education and Health, Vice Chair of the Joint Commission on Health Care, member of the Virginia Housing Commission, as well as numerous other commissions and boards, I have built the critical relationships across state agencies and developed policy insights that will help me to serve as a strong, capable, and effective leader in Virginia’s next administration.

The last four years have shown us the benefits and challenges of a gubernatorial administration working effectively with a legislative body of the opposite political party. How would you participate in strengthening a productive working relationship with legislators, even if the General Assembly is controlled by a party that’s opposite of yours?

Hashmi: I consider many of my colleagues across the aisle to be strong allies in the work to improve education outcomes and economic opportunities for the regions that they serve. Although a few of the issues upon which the General Assembly focuses are partisan in nature, the majority are nonpartisan and impact the lives of families and communities. These established relationships and a history of collaboration with several of these colleagues position me to work effectively, from the first day, with General Assembly members on both sides of the aisle.

Though lieutenant governors are not legislators, they can signal favor of work the General Assembly does. Are there specific types of legislation that your office would advocate in support of in the General Assembly? 

Hashmi: Fully funding public education and lowering the costs of post-secondary credentials and college degrees: All children in Virginia should be guaranteed quality public education that prepares them for well-paying jobs or higher education. I will continue to work to invest in schools, students, educators, and support staff. I will also continue efforts to ensure that we develop paid internships, apprenticeships, and workforce training. I will work to lower tuition costs to make college more affordable.

Ensuring access to affordable and quality health care: Given federal threats, protecting Medicaid and the Affordable Care Act is a top priority. The loss of Medicaid funding will leave vulnerable Virginians without access to critical healthcare and impact our entire health system. I will continue my efforts to provide all children with healthcare coverage, regardless of documentation status. I will work to address healthcare disparities by continuing to support the work of doulas, midwives, community health workers, and remote patient care.

Fighting for housing affordability: All Virginians deserve safe, habitable, and affordable housing. I will continue my work to expand higher density housing development, more affordable housing, financial products that help first-time homebuyers, protections for tenants, and to decrease eviction rates. 

What is your stance on school choice and how do you propose to address educational disparities?

Hashmi: I proudly defeated Governor Youngkin’s efforts to funnel public education dollars into private schools. As a recent statewide audit highlighted, our state has underfunded public education by more than $6 billion.  For many localities, this underfunding results in restrictions on teacher aides, larger class sizes, a loss of counselors, and limitations on resources. Funding public education and lowering the high costs of post-secondary credentials and college degrees is our biggest challenge. We can pay for these initiatives through a variety of approaches, including closing corporate tax loopholes, “rightsizing” our tax structures that place the greatest burden on middle class and working families, and through slight tax increases on luxury or second homes, but we will struggle to pay for it if we divert public funds to private schools. 

Do you support the current administration’s focus on revising school curricula and how would you approach curriculum content as lieutenant governor?

Hashmi: No. I have fought and defeated Governor Youngkin’s attacks on teachers and his attempts to ban books and whitewash our history. I feared the direction we were going in the Commonwealth — the direction that we actually saw come to pass — that is the direction of book bans and censorship, Hashmi said on the Senate floor Tuesday afternoon. We had superintendents who actually began to remove books from school libraries, which is why I wrote the bill to stop schools from banning books. As Lieutenant Governor, I will oppose book bans and censorship and I will center educational best practices when approaching our curriculum.

In light of recent controversies involving public officials, how do you plan to uphold and promote ethical standards in your role as lieutenant governor?

Hashmi: Strong ethical standards are essential for our elected officials. Most importantly, I support campaign finance reform. I support a ban on the personal use of campaign funds, a bill which we finally passed this year, and a ban on contributions from publicly-regulated corporations such as Dominion Energy. 

How do you plan to use your tie-breaking power to influence legislation, and in what areas do you see the most opportunity for bipartisan cooperation?

Hashmi: I have the most legislative experience of any candidate in this race. In my six Sessions in the General Assembly, I am proud to have been a champion for progressive legislation and goals, and to have been a solid partner in the work of many organizations and groups seeking to positively impact the communities that have been historically underrepresented in the economic, social, and political decision-making process. I chair the Senate Committee on Education and Health. My experience prepares me to be an influential voice on legislation.  I have already collaborated with bipartisan colleagues on improving education outcomes for rural schools, expanding career and technical education programs, supporting community colleges and access to degree programs, providing internship opportunities in emerging technologies, responding to critical healthcare needs, and more, and I would continue that work as Lieutenant Governor. 

What’s the most important thing for Virginians to know about you?

Hashmi: I am the most experienced legislator in the race and have an actual legislative track record that addresses the issues that Virginians most care about: education, health care, housing, and opportunity. When Trump came after abortion rights, I wrote the bill protecting contraception and helped to draft language for our constitutional amendment protecting abortion; that’s why I’m the only candidate endorsed by abortion rights groups. When Trump came after our health care, I wrote the plan to protect Medicaid in Virginia. In the face of attacks on public education, I crafted the budget plan to increase funding for our schools. As the Trump Administration assails our freedoms and our values, I have pushed back hard, and I’m running because Virginia needs an executive team, inclusive of a strong Governor, Lieutenant Governor, and Attorney General, that is not only ready to respond effectively to the Trump administration but also ready to chart the next four years of policy that will effectively cast Virginia as an exemplar for other states.