| WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today EMILYs List, the nation’s largest resource for women in politics, endorsed state Sen. Ghazala Hashmi for lieutenant governor and Shannon Taylor for attorney general of Virginia. EMILYs List President Jessica Mackler released the following statement:
“EMILYs List is proud to endorse state Sen. Ghazala Hashmi for lieutenant governor of Virginia. Sen. Hashmi has proven she has what it takes to win tough elections and has delivered for her constituents. In office, she has a proven track record of fighting for quality education, reproductive rights, and working families. We are confident that she will bring this same commitment to the lieutenant governor’s office and are thrilled to continue standing by her in this race.”
“Shannon Taylor has spent over two decades working towards a stronger, safer Virginia and EMILYs List is proud to endorse her for attorney general of Virginia. From years of service as a prosecutor at the local, state, and federal levels to her tenure as president of the Virginia Association of Commonwealth’s Attorneys, she has demonstrated an unwavering commitment to public safety. Shannon has worked to ensure her office reflects the community it serves and pushed for policies that address inequities within the criminal justice system. We are confident that as attorney general, she will continue to fight for her community and the people of Virginia.”
State Sen. Hashmi is currently serving in the Virginia General Assembly representing District 15. She spent nearly 30 years as a professor, teaching first at the University of Richmond and then at Reynolds Community College. State Sen. Hashmi was first elected in 2019 to represent District 10 with EMILYs List support. She pulled off an upset over a Republican incumbent, delivering the majority to Democrats and making history as the first Muslim and first South Asian American woman elected to the Virginia state Senate. She currently serves as the chair of the Senate Subcommittee on Public Education and on the Conservation and Natural Resources; General Laws and Technology; and Local Government Senate committees.
Shannon Taylor currently serves as the commonwealth’s attorney for Henrico County, Virginia. After receiving her juris doctorate from University of Richmond School of Law, she began her legal career as a prosecutor in the City of Richmond commonwealth’s attorney office. Later, she was named as a special assistant in the U.S. attorney’s office first in 1999 and then again in 2002 to 2004. She first ran for Henrico County commonwealth’s attorney in 2011, winning an upset victory over two Republican opponents and becoming the first woman to hold that position. She has been reelected thrice since, and was chosen by her peers as president of the Virginia Association of Commonwealth’s Attorneys.
EMILYs List, the nation’s largest resource for women in politics, works to elect Democratic pro-choice women up and down the ballot and across the country with a goal of fighting for our rights and our communities. Over nearly 40 years, EMILYs List has raised nearly $950 million to help Democratic women win competitive elections by recruiting and training candidates, supporting and helping build strong campaigns, researching the issues that impact women and families, running one of the most impactful independent expenditure operations for Democrats, and turning out women voters to the polls. Since our founding in 1985, we have helped elect the country’s first woman as vice president, 192 women to the House, 29 to the Senate, 20 governors, and over 1,600 women to state and local office. More than 40% of the candidates EMILYs List has helped elect to Congress have been women of color. Visit www.emilyslist.org for more information. |
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