Ghazala Hashmi

Thanks to the disastrous Dobbs Supreme Court decision, my daughters and yours have fewer rights than their mothers did. I will never stop fighting for reproductive health care, including access to abortion and to contraception. As the last Southern state that has not severely restricted abortion access, we have a responsibility to ensure that all people, from Virginia or elsewhere, have access to the safe and legal health care they need and deserve. We must expand services, not shut them down. I am proud to have been named a Defender of Choice by REPRO Rising Virginia in recognition of my work in the State Senate, including my Right to Contraception Act, to protect our freedoms.

Tragically, mass shootings continue to increase, and gun violence is now the number one killer of our children, more than accidents or illness. I am committed to doing everything I can to stop the proliferation of guns and reduce the violence and deaths. I strongly support universal background checks, safe storage laws, strengthened red flag laws, and a ban on assault weapons which are weapons of war.

All Virginians deserve opportunity, fair treatment, equal rights, and justice. Unfortunately, too many of our communities are under attack as they face LGBTQIA bigotry, Islamophobia, and antisemitism. And more than four hundred years of systemic racism continue to affect the lives of Black Virginians, as we respond to redlining, inequitable education opportunities, and healthcare disparities. Immigrants are too often denigrated and made to feel unwelcome. We have a fundamental responsibility to fight hatred wherever we see it and to ensure that this country’s ideals of justice, equality, and fairness are a reality for all.

As Virginians face an ever-changing economy, our education systems must focus on preparing the next generation with the necessary skills, training, and credentials that are essential for emerging technologies and careers. We must expand access to quality childcare and make it affordable, ensure that families are supported with home healthcare and elder care, and provide domestic workers with compensation at the levels that they deserve for their essential services. We must protect our workers’ rights to organize, to bargain collectively for fair pay, benefits, and safe workplaces. A living wage is a fundamental right for workers and their families.

Education has always been a top priority for me. We need to prioritize fully funding our public schools so all our children must have access to top notch public schools with modern technology and sufficient staff including career counselors, mental health professionals and subject area specialists, no matter the zip code. I have championed bills and budget amendments to provide increased support for our educators and for our most vulnerable students, including English Language Learners and students with disabilities. By supporting our educators and students, addressing target areas of inequality, protecting vulnerable populations in our schools, and dedicating ourselves to keeping our schools free from gun violence, I am working to ensure accessible and equitable education for all of the Commonwealth’s students. Our students and communities thrive when we expand access to higher learning and career pathways, whether through community colleges, workforce development centers, and public colleges and universities.

The effects of human-caused climate change are happening now, and Virginia must lead on critical environmental policies to address the concerns of the climate catastrophes that face us, and ensure that we protect our precious natural resources for future generations. Key concerns include reducing carbon emissions and transitioning to renewable energy, shoring up coastal resiliency programs, protecting communities from the threats of flooding, and addressing the concerns of environmental justice.

Clean, safe and decent housing is a fundamental human right and access to affordable housing is particularly important as we navigate challenging economic times. We need to develop plans for those who are houseless and housing insecure, support better financial products for homeowners, and expand tenant rights and protections.

Thriving communities are built on strong and resilient families. Ensuring that families have affordable housing, access to nutritious food, safe neighborhoods, effective transportation, and responsive, accessible and affordable health care helps us to build stable communities. We need effective family leave policies, affordable quality child care, elder care services, well-paying jobs to help families thrive.

Health care is a human right. Every Virginian must have access to affordable health care, including reproductive health care, safe and legal abortion, contraception, and low-cost prescription drugs. We need to address physician and nursing shortages all across Virginia. Expanding access to mental health services and ensuring it is affordable is critically important for all families.

Unfortunately, the very structures of our democracy from voting rights to government institutions are under attack by rightwing extremists. Fair and open elections are the foundation of our democracy and ensuring access to the ballot box is critical. We must protect and continue to build on the Democratic successes of expanding early voting, mail-in ballots, and no-excuse absentee voting. The right to vote is the cornerstone of our democracy. Additionally, we must protect our election technologies, ballots, and processes so that the integrity of the electoral system is maintained.