Republican gubernatorial nominee John Reid and his Democratic opponent, state Sen. Ghazala Hashmi, painted each other as extreme and out of touch with mainstream Virginians on Wednesday.
Hashmi secured the nomination Tuesday night in a tightly contested Democratic primary, making Wednesday the first day of the general election campaign for the two to square off over policy differences.
“Hashmi who, not to be unkind about it, is pretty radical, pretty radical within her party,” Reid said during a 40-minute press gaggle outside Falling Creek Middle School in Chesterfield County.
Hashmi described Reid as a Republican who wants to follow President Donald Trump’s lead.
“We need leadership at the state level that’s going to fight and protect Virginians, not people who are going to simply obey the commands of Donald Trump,” Hashmi said in an interview with Virginia Scope Wednesday. “And that’s very clear, that this is the agenda that John Reid is pursuing.”
Constitutional Amendments
Reid told reporters he opposes the three constitutional amendments that passed the General Assembly last year.
The amendments — which must pass the legislature again next year before going to voters in a referendum — would remove the defunct same-sex marriage ban, enshrine the right to reproductive access, and automatically restore voting rights to people previously incarcerated for felony convictions.
“It’s no, no, no to all three,” Reid said.
As lieutenant governor, Reid or Hashmi would only vote on these amendments if a tie arises when they come up again next year.
Reid did not directly say whether he would support legislation to impose new restrictions on abortion in Virginia.
“I’ve got something in front of me that is so extreme that I’m going to focus on that. You know that I’m pro-life,” he said. “I think I’m in the minority in Virginia, to be honest with you, which hurts to know that I’m in the minority, but that’s okay. I’m in the minority on a couple of issues.”
Hashmi said Reid is not prioritizing the interests of Virginians.
“I think it’s quite clear if he cannot come out and say that he supports our critical constitutional amendment to protect reproductive freedom, we see clearly where he is at.”
Reid, who is the first openly gay statewide nominee in Virginia’s history, said the amendment to repeal the ban on same-sex marriage does not provide protections for people who disagree with it.
“It doesn’t provide protection for people who sincerely don’t agree with gay marriage,” he said. “I’m running to be the lieutenant governor, not to be somebody’s pastor, but I’ve got to protect everybody’s rights.”
He also pointed to the U.S. Supreme Court ruling that found bans on same-sex marriage unconstitutional, noting it overrides the Virginia Constitution, when discussing his opposition to the amendment.
“The Supreme Court has already taken care of this issue, and I’m glad that the Supreme Court stepped in and dealt with this,” he said. “So I’m puzzled, other than to play politics, I’m puzzled as to why we’re spending so much time even talking about an issue that’s already been settled.”
Reid was pressed about Justice Clarence Thomas indicating he would be open to overturning that decision, which could reactivate Virginia’s dormant ban.
“I like and admire Justice Thomas. We disagree on that,” Reid said. “And I don’t think that’s where we’re headed anytime soon. And if we do head there, then we’ll have an issue to deal with.”
Hashmi voted in favor of all three amendments.
Education
Reid said that in her role as chair of the Senate Education and Health Committee, Hashmi has advanced policies that are harmful to Virginia.
“As the chair of this Senate committee, she’s got to own the responsibility for some of the really divisive and negative policies that have gone through in the commonwealth of Virginia and are impacting students and families negatively,” Reid said.
“Some of the positions that she’s taken, and some of the things that the Democrats are pushing are a real net negative for the students.”
Hashmi says her experience working in education gave her an up-close look at what needs to happen to improve Virginia’s education system.
“I am a lifelong educator,” she said. “I spent 20 years in Virginia’s community college system, and I have a direct view of what’s been happening in education over the past several decades.”
Reid also criticized Hashmi for blocking Gov. Glenn Youngkin’s efforts to expand school choice options in Virginia.
“She has said she’s very proud that she stopped Gov. Youngkin from providing those educational opportunities,” he said. “I think that’s a mistake, and I think that’s a problem.”
In a recent interview with the Virginia Mercury, Hashmi stated that funding initiatives to improve public schools will be challenging if money is diverted to private institutions.
“Funding public education and lowering the high costs of post-secondary credentials and college degrees is our biggest challenge,” she said. “We can pay for these initiatives through a variety of approaches, including closing corporate tax loopholes, ‘rightsizing’ our tax structures that place the greatest burden on middle class and working families, and through slight tax increases on luxury or second homes, but we will struggle to pay for it if we divert public funds to private schools.”
Reid also disagrees with Hashmi’s efforts to invest an additional $6 billion in public education.
“I mean, seriously, $6 billion, does everybody understand how much money we’re talking about?” he said. “I’d like to know at what point you think we’re fully funded.”
Hashmi said those comments show Reid is out of touch with Virginia families.
“We had a critical research review that emerged two years ago that highlighted the ways in which Virginia has been underfunding public education to the tune of $6.6 billion,” she said.
“I think he ought to review the research first and understand that we are working hard to restore funding so that we can make sure that Virginia schools are competitive and that they are providing students with all of the necessary support that they need to be successful.”
As the general election begins, both campaigns appear poised to draw sharp contrasts on key issues, previewing a combative and high-stakes race to lead Virginia.