Democratic Virginia state Sen. Ghazala Hashmi’s campaign on Tuesday released a TV and digital ad accusing Republican lieutenant governor nominee John Reid of planning to shutter public schools and shift taxpayer dollars to private institutions, while Reid fired back on X calling the attack “fake” and saying Hashmi keeps refusing to debate.
The 28-second spot — a seven-figure buy airing statewide this week, according to the campaign’s release — strings together lines it attributes to Reid and urges voters to reject him. Reid denied the charge on social media and renewed his push for a face-off; he has also posted that Hashmi has “refus[ed] to debate” for weeks. (RELATED: Can Republicans Win Virginia In Wake Of Jay Jones Crisis?)
Reid says the spot rips old Facebook posts out of context to claim he’d shutter schools, arguing his platform doesn’t call for closures. In an X post, he called himself “the son of public school teachers and a product of the Henrico Public Schools” and said Hashmi is “accusing me of wanting to ‘destroy’ the public schools,” which he called a lie.
Once again- no debate from Ghazala just Chat GPT press releases and fake TV ads.
This is how desperate Ghazala and the Democrats have become- taking the son of public school teachers and a product of the Henrico Public Schools with family in the public schools and accusing me of… pic.twitter.com/1fitVOoWO5
— John Reid (@JohnReid4VA) October 21, 2025
“These are John Reid’s own words… ‘It truly may be time to just close the public schools’ … ‘So do we continue letting them exist?’” the narrator says in the ad, which the campaign titled “Unreal.”
Hashmi’s release links those lines to Reid’s prior comments about vouchers and overhauling K-12, and says she would “prioritize fully funding our public education system.” The 2025 lieutenant governor race is effectively a toss-up, with a VCU Wilder School poll published Tuesday showing Hashmi at 44% and Reid at 43% among registered voters.
Reid, a Richmond radio host who ran unopposed for the GOP nomination, has spent much of October needling Hashmi over debates, telling followers it’s the “18th week” she has declined. Local outlets have likewise noted no debates have been scheduled. Hashmi’s campaign did not immediately post a debate schedule on its official channels.
Wow- Start of the 18th week of Ghazala- the Democrat Candidate for Lt. Governor- hiding and refusing to debate.
She’s the only one in Virginia who refuses!
On day one I agreed to 10 debates all over rhe state.
To me- even if I wasn’t the Republican – this refusal over 5… pic.twitter.com/gKl0L7hDsZ
— John Reid (@JohnReid4VA) October 13, 2025
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