First Muslim woman elected to Va. Senate: "She decided to speak up and represent herself."

Virginia Election: Democrats Take Full Control of State Government - The New York Times:

"Democrats picked up at least two Senate seats, including an upset in a suburban Richmond district by Ghazala Hashmi, who will be the first Muslim woman in the Senate.

"A former college literature professor, Ms. Hashmi was brought to the country from India as a child. Running her first campaign, she described experiencing a personal crisis after Mr. Trump ordered a ban on immigration from Muslim-majority countries.

"'I didn’t know if I actually had a home in this country,' she said in an interview before the voting. 'My anxiety was caused by wondering if other people would speak up and support the assault we were seeing on civil liberties.' She decided to speak up and represent herself."

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