Hashmi defeats Stoney in historic Virginia Lt. Gov. primary
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State Sen. Ghazala Hashmi on the campaign trail. Photo: Courtesy of the Ghazala Hashmi campaign
Former Richmond mayor Levar Stoney conceded the lieutenant governor race to State Sen. Ghazala Hashmi Wednesday morning.
Why it matters: Both the GOP and Democratic ballots in November are now set to be among the most historically diverse tickets in Virginia history.
The latest: The AP called the race for Hashmi Wednesday morning after Stoney's concession.
- "I'm incredibly proud of the campaign we ran and the many Virginians who supported our efforts to fight for a fair shot for all Virginians," Stoney said in a statement. "Unfortunately, in this primary we came up a little short."
- Hours before he conceded, the Democratic state ticket issued a statement saying, "We are united in our focus on the issues that matter to our fellow Virginians."
Zoom in: If Hashmi wins in November, she'll be the first Muslim-American woman elected lieutenant governor in the U.S.
- Former Norfolk lawmaker Jay Jones won the Democratic nomination for attorney general, per the AP, which means Virginia could have its first Black AG.
Meanwhile, having Virginia's first woman governor is all but guaranteed with Republican nominee Winsome Earle-Sears up against Democrat Abigail Spanberger.
- Jason Miyares, the GOP incumbent running for AG, is the first Latino to hold statewide office.
- And the Republican lieutenant governor nominee John Reid, a former Richmond-area radio host, is the first openly gay statewide nominee.
By the numbers: Hashmi and Levar Stoney were within 1% of each other as of Wednesday morning.
- Hashmi, who represents Chesterfield and parts of South Richmond, swept Richmond — the city Stoney was mayor of for eight years — with 58% of the vote, according to unofficial results.
- Stoney performed better in Chesterfield and Henrico, where he had around 35% of the vote in a six-way race, than he did in Richmond.
- But Hashmi led overall in the Richmond area.
What we're watching: When each ticket will first show up together.
- The GOP nominees have yet to do so in the months since Gov. Youngkin asked Reid to step aside earlier this year.
- In an interview with WTOP this week, Reid said, "I would love to do an event with my ticket mates" and called it "disappointing" that it hasn't happened.
- Reid also said he hasn't spoken with Winsome Earle-Sears, the GOP nominee for governor, in nearly two months.
Editor's note: This story has been updated with the AP race call.