Ghazala Hashmi makes history as Virginia's next lieutenant governor

State of play: The state senator, who represents Chesterfield and parts of South Richmond, first made history in 2019.

• That's when she flipped a long-held Republican seat, helped Democrats regain control of the legislature and became the first Muslim elected to the Virginia Senate.
• As senator, Hashmi focused on health and education and led bills to establish the right to contraception, which were vetoed.

The intrigue: Her most recent win also marks the first time in nearly 25 years that Virginians have elected a Richmond-area candidate to the lieutenant governor job, per an Axios review of the state's elections database.

• The last one was Tim Kaine in 2001.

Zoom in: The lieutenant governor's race was always slated to be historic, since Hashmi's opponent, John Reid — a former conservative radio host in Richmond — was the first openly gay Republican nominated to statewide office.

• Hashmi faced attacks based on her faith throughout the campaign, and comparisons to New York City's Muslim mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani, which Muslim leaders statewide and Hashmi have denounced as Islamophobic.

What's next: The special election to fill Hashmi's Senate seat.