A state senator in Virginia running for lieutenant governor is facing increased scrutiny from Jewish and pro-Israel leaders over her past involvement in anti-Israel activism and her record on combating antisemitism.

Ghazala Hashmi, a leading progressive lawmaker who represents parts of Richmond and suburban Chesterfield County, is among several candidates seeking the Democratic nomination in Virginia’s June 17 primary. The race remains fluid with two and a half months until the election, strategists say.

But as polling has shown that Hashmi could credibly advance to the general election, some Jewish community activists are privately raising concerns about her candidacy as antisemitism has increased in the state amid the unrest stemming from Israel’s war with Hamas in Gaza, particularly on college campuses.

The other leading candidates in the race include Levar Stoney, the former mayor of Richmond, and Aaron Rouse, a state senator in Virginia Beach.

Meanwhile, some pro-Israel Democrats are also apprehensive that Hashmi’s record on Israel and antisemitism could fuel Republican attacks if she wins the primary, with the added consequence of forcing Abigail Spanberger, a moderate Democrat and former congresswoman who is expected to win the gubernatorial nomination, into the potentially uncomfortable position of distancing herself from a fellow party member at the top of the ticket in a key swing state.

In contrast with Spanberger, who is largely seen as an ally of the Jewish community, Hashmi has drawn criticism over her engagement on major issues.

Last year, for instance, Hashmi, who chairs the state Senate’s Education and Health Committee, led a hearing to address the wave of anti-Israel protests that had been roiling Virginia college campuses and for which she had voiced approval in a previous statement that commended the student demonstrators as caring “deeply about human rights.”

But she drew a sharp rebuke from the Jewish Community Federation of Richmond, which later said in a statement it was “extremely disappointed that no Jewish community organizations, Jewish campus organizations or law enforcement agencies were notified in advance of the hearing by the committee chair or other committee members.”

“Any honest inquiry into the state of our campuses regarding the anti-Israel protests, encampments and harassment would necessarily include these groups,” the statement added, while questioning “the intention of the hearing” over its omission of “key stakeholders.”

In an interview with Jewish Insider on Wednesday, Hashmi defended her approach to the hearing and said that “anytime committee meetings are called, we don’t actually go through any outreach to any specific groups.”

Sam Richardson, who leads the Jewish Community Federation of Richmond’s Jewish Community Relations Committee, said in a statement to JI on Wednesday that both groups “have a longstanding relationship with” Hashmi and “appreciate” her “willingness to engage in dialogue, even as there are issues upon which we strongly disagree.”

Hashmi, who added that “all committee hearings are open to the public,” voiced satisfaction with the proceedings. “We had strong voices from many different sides.”

After the hearing, Hashmi said she met privately with federation leaders in Richmond, during which they raised their concerns about her engagement. “I think they were satisfied with the information that I shared with them,” she told JI, adding that she had “not heard anything further since.”

Sam Richardson, who leads the federation’s Jewish Community Relations Committee in Richmond, said in a statement to JI on Wednesday that both groups “have a longstanding relationship with” Hashmi and “appreciate” her “willingness to engage in dialogue, even as there are issues upon which we strongly disagree.”

“We were surprised at the short notice, structure, and framing of the Senate hearing on campus protests and shared the concerns voiced by many Democratic and Republican members of the committee,” he added. “We were also deeply disappointed that Jewish community members required Capitol Police to safely escort them out of the building.”

While Hashmi has joined with the local Jewish community to address rising antisemitism in the commonwealth, her record of withholding support for related legislation favored by Jewish activists has also been met with disappointment in her time in the state Senate.

On two bills that passed unanimously in the upper chamber, for example, Hashmi was among a small handful of lawmakers who abstained from voting.

The first, in 2023, adopted the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance’s working definition of antisemitism as a tool for combating antisemitic hate crimes. The second, during last year’s session, was aimed at combating antisemitism through the prohibition of discrimination by ethnic origin in employment and places of public accommodation. 

Hashmi told JI “there was no attempt to maneuver or do anything behind closed doors,” while emphasizing that her party engaged in what she called “frank and open caucus discussions” about the IHRA bill in particular, which relies on a definition that identifies certain criticisms of Israel as antisemitic.

Even as Hashmi had not opposed the bills directly, she worked behind the scenes to lobby colleagues to choose not to vote, according to one Jewish leader familiar with the matter.

The Jewish leader, who was granted anonymity to address a sensitive issue, said Hashmi’s views on such issues “don’t represent where the majority of voters in the commonwealth would be,” calling her approach “concerning” as she competes for higher office.

In the interview with JI, Hashmi said “there was no attempt to maneuver or do anything behind closed doors,” while emphasizing that her party engaged in what she called “frank and open caucus discussions” about the IHRA bill in particular, which relies on a definition that identifies certain criticisms of Israel as antisemitic.

Regarding the ethnic discrimination bill, Hashmi said she had voted for a House version introduced by a Democratic colleague but had concerns about the Senate effort led by a Republican, even as public summaries of the two pieces of legislation described them as “identical.”

“We lose control when legislation is in the hands of a Republican member,” Hashmi explained of her reasoning, adding, “I typically vote against many of my Republican colleagues’ bills just because of the nature of the patron and what they are intending to do.”

In addition to her legislative activity, Hashmi’s appearance at an anti-Israel demonstration in 2021 is also drawing scrutiny now that she is running for a statewide role second in line to the governorship.

Michael Schewel, a retired lawyer in Richmond who has served as Virginia’s secretary of commerce and trade, said he was recently unnerved to see a photo of Hashmi at a protest that had taken place amid a previous conflict between Israel and Hamas, where participants had vocally condemned ties between Israel and Virginia. 

“I typically do not engage in anything that has to do with foreign policy” because “I have no control over foreign policy,” Hashmi said. “I don’t have any internal briefings on U.S. foreign policy decisions.”

Schewel, who is Jewish, said he received an email from Hashmi last month seeing if he would be free to speak about her campaign, which he shared with JI. But he has not heard from her, he added, since he replied with a copy of the photo, which he said had been shared with him by a rival campaign but is publicly available, and asked her to confirm if it was “real or fabricated.”

Hashmi said on Wednesday that she had attended the event after some constituents reached out to ask if she would be willing to call for a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas. “I just made general comments that I hope that we can move toward a solution and a resolution to the conflict that was ongoing at that time,” Hashmi said of her involvement, noting that she left the protest before a subsequent march and has since then not joined any other related rallies.

“I typically do not engage in anything that has to do with foreign policy” because “I have no control over foreign policy,” Hashmi clarified. “I don’t have any internal briefings on U.S. foreign policy decisions.”

While Hashmi does not appear to have released a public statement addressing Hamas’ Oct. 7 attacks, a spokesperson for her campaign, Clay Volino, said she “has always condemned” the violence and “spoke at a Jewish Federation event with regard to those actions.”

Schewel, however, said he was “not going to support” Hashmi for lieutenant governor. “I’ve heard that Hashmi is a very smart and capable legislator,” he told JI, but added that he has been backing Stoney, the former Richmond mayor, “who has an outstanding record on antisemitism and Israel.” He said he would “also be comfortable with” Rouse, the Virginia Beach state senator viewed as another top contender in the race.

Stoney, who has been seen as a rising Democratic star in Virginia, has built strong relationships with Jewish community leaders in Richmond and has been vocal in his opposition to antisemitism and support for Israel in its fight against Hamas. 

In an interview with JI in 2023, Stoney, who had recently returned from a delegation to Israel that was organized by the American Jewish Committee, expressed support for legislation seeking to address antisemitism introduced by Republican Gov. Glenn Youngkin that year — including the IHRA bill.

“I don’t think this is a Republican or Democratic issue when it comes to combating antisemitism, when it comes to combating hate,” said Stoney, who had been seeking the governorship before switching races last year. “This is about human rights.”

Rouse, a former professional football player and Virginia Beach councilman who was elected to the state Senate in 2022, has voiced his solidarity with Israel and the Jewish community in the aftermath of the Hamas attacks. While he voted for the IHRA bill backed by Youngkin, Rouse has clashed with the governor on other issues affecting the Jewish community.

As chair of the state Senate Privileges and Elections Committee, Rouse led a Democratic vote in January to block Youngkin’s nomination of Kenneth Marcus, a widely respected antisemitism expert, to the board of visitors of George Mason University — which has reckoned with several high-profile antisemitic incidents in recent months.

Hashmi, who was born in India, had worked as a literature professor and an academic administrator before she became the first Muslim elected to serve in Virginia’s state Senate in 2019, when she flipped a Republican-held seat to help deliver a Democratic majority in the upper chamber.

Ben Tribbett, a Democratic political consultant in Virginia, told JI that he “could make a strong case for any of the three main candidates becoming the nominee,” adding that such downballot statewide primaries have historically been “very volatile until the end.”

She launched her campaign for lieutenant governor last May and has since claimed endorsements from EMILY’s List, the fundraising juggernaut that backs pro-choice women candidates, and Rep. Ro Khanna (D-CA), a national progressive leader who is also of Indian descent, among others.

A spokesperson for EMILY’s List on Wednesday declined to comment on the record about Hashmi’s approach to fighting antisemitism.

Ben Tribbett, a Democratic political consultant in Virginia, told JI that he “could make a strong case for any of the three main candidates becoming the nominee,” adding that such downballot statewide primaries have historically been “very volatile until the end.”

Hashmi, who said she frequently faces Islamophobic threats as a public official, argued that her record demonstrates she is “very dedicated to addressing bigotry in every form.”

“The threats of antisemitism and Islamophobia are serious,” she said. “They are hate crimes, and all of us need to be fighting very aggressively and openly to address these issues of bigotry that just harm and divide our communities.”