House District 055

Dr. Ghazala Hashmi is an educator and currently serves as the Founding Director of the Center for Excellence in Teaching & Learning (CETL) at Reynolds Community College. She immigrated to the United States 50 years ago from India. She earned her PhD in English from Emory College before moving to Chesterfield where she has raised her children.

She is an advocate of reproductive rights, renewable energy, and accessible grade school and higher education. Hashmi is vocal about her desire for paid family leave and broadband access for rural communities. If elected, Hashmi would be the first Muslim-American woman in the Virginia state Senate.

Incumbent Republican Senator Glen Sturtevant voted against Medicaid expansion and against raising the minimum wage. As a member of the Courts of Justice committee, he has repeatedly voted against common sense gun violence prevention measures. Senator Sturtevant has introduced legislation to cut taxes for corporations at the expense of working families and repeatedly opposed policies to protect and expand access to abortion.

Ghazala Hashmi is the progressive choice in this race.

Amanda Pohl has lived in Virginia for most of her life. She completed seminary at Baptist Theological Seminary and holds a master’s degree in Patient Counseling and Social Work with a focus on Administration, Planning, and Policy Practice from Virginia Commonwealth University.

In her campaign, Pohl has prioritized continuing to expand access to health care in Virginia and investing in public schools. She supports policies to protect LGBTQ Virginians and expand access to reproductive health care. She also supports paid family and medical leave policies. She supports same day voter registration and expanding absentee voting in Virginia.

Her opponent, incumbent Republican Senator Amanda Chase, opposes reproductive rights and common sense gun violence prevention measures. She voted against raising the minimum wage and expanding Medicaid in Virginia. She has come under fire for callous comments about sexual assault and accusations she took advantage of the Capitol Police to chauffeur her to events with lobbyists.

Amanda Pohl is the progressive choice in this race.

Democratic candidate Morgan Goodman has a master's degree in environmental and natural resource policy. Her professional experience includes working in the state and federal government and working for nonprofits. She serves on the PTA and as a co-leader for her daughter’s Girl Scout troop.

Goodman is centering her campaign on environmental protection, and she supports protecting and restoring Virginia’s waterways. She has vowed to protect the civil liberties all Virginians by prohibiting discrimination in employment based on sexual orientation, ensuring equal pay for equal work, and making it easier for Virginians to exercise their right to vote. She also supports public schools and raising teacher pay.

Goodman is running against incumbent Republican Delegate Buddy Fowler Jr., who opposed expanding Medicaid for Virginia families. He is also against increasing the minimum wage.

Morgan Goodman is the more progressive choice in this race.