History made as America poised to elect first Muslim-American woman to statewide office

America has elected its first Muslim-American woman to a statewide elected office, if election projections hold.

CNN projected late Tuesday that Democrat Ghazala Hashmi won the election for Virginia's lieutenant governor race, securing a victory along with Democratic gubernatorial candidate Abigail Spanberger. Hashmi defeated Republican nominee John Reid, formerly the host of a morning show.

Hashmi previously became the first Indian American and first Muslim woman elected to the Virginia state Senate in 2019.

The Tuesday night election has been held up as a harbinger of what's to come during next year's midterm elections, providing an early sign of voter sentiment — particularly backlash to President Donald Trump's adminsitration.