BURSTVirginia lieutenant governor candidate and state Sen. Ghazala Hashmi (D) rolled out her first ad of the general election on Monday, highlighting her experienced as a mohter and educator.
The ad, titled educator, is a part of a six-figure ad buy that is airing in media markets across the commonwealth.
“Ghazala fought for guys like me, expanding apprenticeships and technical training,” said one worker who was featured in the 30-second ad. “So we can get good paying jobs, whether you go to college or not.”
Hashmi is running against former conservative talk show host John Reid for lieutenant governor. Most polls show Hashmi running ahead of Reid. A poll released by Virginia Commonwealth University earlier this month showed Hashmi leading Reid by four points.
The ad’s release comes as Virginia’s Democratic ticket has been rocked by text messages sent by the party's attorney general nominee Jay Jones in 2022 talking about violence directed toward former Virginia House Speaker Todd Gilbert (R ).
Hashmi and Democratic gubernatorial nominee Abigail Spanberger were quick to condemn the text messages following their release on Friday.
“I have been very clear that political violence has no place in our country, and I condemn it at every turn,” Hashmi said. “Jay must take accountability for the pain his words have caused. We must demand better of our leaders and of each other."
Coverage over the texts has quickly turned into a national story with President Trump and Vice President JD Vance calling on Jones to drop out of the race.
Jones has given no indication he will end his campaign, but has since apologized for the texts.
“I am so deeply, deeply sorry for what I said and I wish that it hadn’t happened and I would take it back if I could,” Jones told WRIC, which is owned by The Hill’s parent company Nexstar Media Group, on Friday.