Endorsement Highlights Hashmi’s Solidarity With Unions, Workers

Richmond — Today, UNITE HERE, the hotel, airport and food service workers union with over 8,000 members in Virginia, is announcing our endorsement of State Senator Ghazala Hashmi (D-SD15) in the Democratic primary for Virginia Lieutenant Governor.

“Senator Ghazala Hashmi is an unmatched champion for working people and labor unions,” stated UNITE HERE Local 25 Political Director Sam Epps. “Virginia workers deserve a leader like Senator Hashmi in the Lieutenant Governor’s office who will stand up to Trump, Musk, and Youngkin and fight for better pay and benefits and more good union jobs across the Commonwealth. We’re excited to endorse her candidacy, and we look forward to helping share her message with voters through our organizing efforts.”

“I am honored to earn an endorsement from UNITE HERE and be the first and only labor-endorsed candidate in the race for Lieutenant Governor,” added State Senator Ghazala Hashmi. “With Trump and Musk relentlessly attacking working Americans, the need for leaders who will fight for our working class and protect our rights has never been stronger. I look forward to working with UNITE HERE to share my track record of standing up for labor rights in the face of MAGA extremists with voters across Virginia.”

UNITE HERE is proud to have helped elect many sitting elected officials in Virginia, and our endorsement comes with a commitment to organizing our members and our neighbors across the Commonwealth in support of Senator Hashmi’s campaign.

ABOUT UNITE HERE

UNITE HERE is a labor union that represents 300,000 working people across the United States and Canada. Our members work in the hotel, gaming, food service, manufacturing, textile, distribution, laundry, transportation, and airport industries. Our membership is diverse. We are predominantly women and people of color, and we hail from all corners of the planet.

ABOUT SEN. GHAZALA HASHMI

Senator Ghazala Hashmi, PhD, serves in the Virginia General Assembly and represents the 15th Senatorial District which includes parts of Richmond City and Chesterfield County. She first ran for office in 2019, defeating a Republican incumbent in a long-held red seat. Her successful campaign secured a one-seat Democratic majority in the Virginia Senate and also secured a Democratic trifecta for the next two years. After winning her second term in office in November 2023, Senator Hashmi now serves as Chair of the Senate Education and Health Committee. She also sits on the following Senate Committees: Finance and Appropriations; Agriculture, Conservation and Natural Resources; Transportation; and Rules. Hashmi has been recognized by REPRO Rising, the League of Conservation Voters, the Sierra Club, and the Virginia Education Association for her work. Senator Hashmi has also been appointed, for the past four years, to numerous boards and commissions; additionally, she was elected in 2023 to serve as Vice Chair for the Education Committee of the Council of State Governments – Southern Region. Prior to her first election in November 2019, Senator Hashmi had a long career in higher education in Virginia.

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