Despite their sweeping losses in 2024, Democrats still haven’t absorbed the message from voters. And if there’s one candidate who perfectly represents that disconnect, it’s Ghazala Hashmi. Her campaign for Virginia’s lieutenant governor is quickly becoming a case study in political tone-deafness.
At a recent campaign event, Hashmi stood in front of a tattered, upside-down American flag and a makeshift cardboard tombstone marked “RIP Constitution.” She then declared:
“We have to fight. We are not going to concede this democracy to the efforts of tyranny… We are not going to concede the rights that we have in this country to protect every single citizen.”
This kind of political theater may excite the far-left base, but for most Americans, it sends a very different message—one of disrespect for the country and its founding principles.
Let’s address a common misconception here: The United States is not a pure democracy. We are a constitutional republic, a system our Founders intentionally chose to protect individual rights from the tyranny of the majority. That a candidate for statewide office doesn’t recognize this is concerning.
Hashmi, currently a Virginia state senator, made history in 2019 as the first Muslim and South Asian American woman elected to the state legislature. In June, she won the Democratic nomination for lieutenant governor. But her record has repeatedly raised eyebrows—especially regarding antisemitism.
Though she has made statements condemning Hamas and antisemitism, her legislative actions tell a different story. In 2023, she abstained from a Senate vote to adopt the widely accepted IHRA definition of antisemitism. Every other Virginia senator supported it. Hashmi argued that the definition might be misused to silence criticism of Israel—but many saw her abstention as an unwillingness to take a firm stand against bigotry.
Then in 2024, she abstained again—this time on legislation banning employment discrimination based on ethnic origin. For someone seeking higher office, that kind of hesitation sends a troubling message.
She’s also a staunch opponent of school choice. In an interview with the Virginia Mercury, Hashmi proudly recounted her efforts to block Governor Glenn Youngkin’s proposals to expand education options for families. She’s also criticized efforts to remove sexually explicit or inappropriate content from public schools, framing them as “attacks on teachers” and attempts to “whitewash history.”
Whether it’s through her symbolic disrespect of the flag, her distortion of the American system of government, or her pattern of questionable votes, Hashmi continues to alienate the very voters she claims to represent.
This election should be a referendum on values. And voters deserve to know exactly where each candidate stands—especially when their actions speak louder than their words.
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