RICHMOND, Va. β State Sen. Ghazala Hashmi, the Democratic candidate for lieutenant governor says healthcare, affordability and resilience in the face of job cuts and grant freezes coming out of Washington are the crucial issues facing Virginians.
Cost of living
Hashmi said there actually are things state leaders can do as far as making Virginia more affordable.
"I can do what I've been working on for six years now in the Virginia Senate: focusing on housing affordability, affordability of childcare, making sure that education, especially opportunities for career and technical programs, college education, that those things are actually affordable for our families," said Hashmi. "We've been making progress. We have an opportunity in the next administration to really move the needle, most especially on the impacts for our working families. Childcare is out of the reach of so many families."
Childcare
Hashmi said childcare is one area where the right policies could have a big impact.
"We were making great progress before the Youngkin administration came in, and we were focusing on ways in which we could provide support and assistance to our childcare providers," said Hashmi. "I introduced legislation last year that brings in a combination of support, employer assistance, as well as state-level assistance to make childcare affordable for their employees. In a combination of employer payment, employee payment, and state-level support, so we can actually bring the cost down."
Hashmi pointed out the sweeping federal layoffs disproportionately impact Virginia but that the cutoff in grant funding from Washington will make the suffering even more acute. She says the Senate Finance and Appropriations Committee she sits on has been focused on that.
Hashmi on recent Jay Jones controversies
Hashmi sidestepped a question about whether as a potential statewide leader she could provide guidance to Virginians as to whether former delegate and fellow Democrat Jay Jones was fit for office.
Jones has been embroiled in several scandals dating back to 2022: a reckless driving conviction for speeding at 116 mph on I-64 in New Kent, as well as text messages sent to Del. Carrie Coyner describing a thought game in which Jones seems to advocate violence against then-House Speaker Todd Gilbert.
So I asked whether she was suggesting the Jay Jones question was irrelevant to voters.
"So many of the voters I talk to want Democrats up and down the ballot to fight for them. That's what's important," Hashmi said.
Local law enforcement, their relationship with ICE
Another area of great concern, Hashmi said, is the role of local law enforcement in cooperating with ICE.
"We certainly want to make sure that anyone who is committing illegal and harmful activities is treated as they deserve," Hashmi said. "But so often now we're seeing innocent people, people who are actually citizens, or people who are here legally being rounded up or being harassed. One thing that we know, and as I talk to our local police departments, as I talk to our sheriffs, so many of them want to focus on the job at hand, which is public safety. That's what that they've been hired to do. That's what they've been trained to do. We need to make sure that they are doing the work to protect our communities and not doing immigration issues. Those are concerns in which they don't have any training."
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