Hashmi has represented Chesterfield County since 2020, when she flipped a Republican district that helped Democrats gain control of the Senate. Hashmi, an immigrant and Virginia’s first Muslim state senator, was previously an English literature professor. 

She’s currently the head of the Senate Health and Education Committee and previously sponsored legislation to create a right to contraception in Virginia, which Gov. Glenn Youngkin later vetoed.

Hashmi announced her candidacy in May 2024, calling herself a “progressive champion” and emphasizing access to reproductive health in her platform.