Democrats select nominees for lieutenant governor, attorney general in down-to-wire races
The slates for Virginia's statewide elections this November are set, and each one is setting a precedent in commonwealth politics.
For the first time ever, two women will lead the tickets – Democrat Abigail Spanberger and Republican Winsome Earle-Sears – to become Virginia's 75th governor. Earle-Sears, currently lieutenant governor, would be the first Black woman to hold the governorship and the second person of color in the job, following Democrat Douglas Wilder in 1989.
Those choices, plus the Republican picks for lieutenant governor and attorney general, were foregone conclusions long before the primaries. The contests for the Democratic nods were decided June 17, and both races were dogfights to the very end.
In the most hotly contested race of the evening, Democratic state Sen. Ghazala Hashmi outlasted former Richmond Mayor Levar Stoney and four others to oppose Republican John Reid in November.
The contest resembled a sporting event more than anything. Hashmi, Stoney and state Sen. Aaron Rouse of Virginia Beach swapped leads throughout the night, and at one point, Hashmi's margin was less than a half-percentage point over Stoney.
In the end, the results still were close. Hashmi won by a margin of less than 1% over Stoney and 1.5% over Rouse.
In her victory speech, Hashmi said the victory was more than just in Virginia.
'We didn't just win a primary, we sent a clear message that we won't be bullied, broken, or dragged backward by the chaos in Washington,' Hashmi said. 'I'm honored to stand alongside Abigail Spanberger, Jay Jones and our Democratic ticket to fight for the future of this commonwealth.'
The November race will also be historic. For the first time, a person of Muslim faith and Indian heritage – Hashmi – will square off against the first openly gay statewide candidate, Reid.
This two-person contest was also a nail-biter for most of the evening, but former Del. Jay Jones of Norfolk wound up defeating Henrico County Commonwealth's Attorney Shannon Taylor with just 51% of the vote. Jones, who lost the Democratic primary four years ago to then-Attorney General Mark Herring, is hoping to become the first Black person to hold the office.
To do that, however, he must defeat Republican incumbent Jason Miyares, the first person of Latino descent to hold the office. Miyares wound up beating Herring in the 2021 election.
In his victory statement, Jones echoed what Hashmi said about the election being an anti-Donald Trump mandate.
'The most powerful corporations and special interests believe that Virginia's government should be beholden to them. They will spend more trying to beat us in November by funding Donald Trump's pro-bono attorney, Jason Miyares,' Jones said. 'And we are ready for that fight because it's not their government, it's yours. As your next attorney general, I will return the power back to you, to the people of Virginia.'
To see the results of all primaries in Virginia, click on the Virginia Department of Elections' results page.
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Bill Atkinson (he/him/his) is an award-winning journalist who covers breaking news, government and politics. Reach him at batkinson@progress-index.com or on X (formerly known as Twitter) at @BAtkinson_PI.
This article originally appeared on The Progress-Index: Hashmi, Jones win Democratic nominations to round out state ticket
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