Ruwa Romman

Ruwa Romman
رواء رمان
Official portrait, 2024
Member of the Georgia House of Representatives
from the 97th district
Incumbent
Assumed office
January 9, 2023
Preceded byBeth Moore (redistricted)
Personal details
Born (1993-06-14) June 14, 1993
Jordan
PartyDemocratic
SpouseShahzaib Jiwani
EducationOglethorpe University (BA)
Georgetown University (MPP)
WebsiteCampaign website

Ruwa Romman (Arabic: رواء رمان, born June 14, 1993) is an American politician serving as a member of the Georgia House of Representatives for the 97th district.[1][2][3] A Democrat, she is the first Palestinian and Muslim woman elected to the body.[4][1][2][3][5] She briefly ran for Governor of Georgia in the 2026 gubernatorial election, but withdrew before the primary and announced her campaign for State Senate.[6][7]

Early life and education

Romman was born in Jordan to a Palestinian family and moved to the United States when she was seven years old.[8][9] Romman attended South Forsyth High School before going to Oglethorpe University and Georgetown University’s McCourt School of Public Policy.[8] She graduated from McCourt with a Master of Public Policy in 2019.[3]

Career

After graduation, Romman worked for Deloitte as a senior consultant.[8] She has been involved in local politics and civic engagement groups since 2014 and co-founded the Georgia Volunteer Hub in 2020, which trained thousands of volunteers to support the Georgia Senate runoff election.[2][3]

In January 2022, Romman announced her candidacy for the Georgia House of Representative in District 97.[3] On May 24, 2022, Romman won the Democratic primary against JT Wu.[9] On November 8, 2022, Romman won the general election, making her the first Muslim woman to be elected into the Georgia State House of Representatives.[4][1]

During her 2022 campaign, Romman was endorsed by NARAL,[10] Fair Fight,[8] the Georgia Working Families Party,[8] and the Asian-American Advocacy Fund.[8][11] Romman campaigned on expanding health care access, protecting voting rights, supporting access to abortion and helping working families.[2]

On November 22, 2022, Romman was interviewed by journalist Peter Biello for Georgia Public Broadcasting.[12] In December 2022, Romman was interviewed by Geoff Bennett for a PBS News Hour segment titled "How Muslim American candidates made history in the midterms."[13]

Since November 2022, Romman is part of Georgia's first formal "Legislative Asian American Pacific Islander Caucus."[14]

In August 2024, Romman was one of three Palestinian-American names put forward by the Uncommitted National Movement to speak at the 2024 Democratic National Convention. Upon refusal, the Uncommitted delegates staged a sit-in protest outside the doors of United Center and inside the security perimeter and stayed overnight before the last day of the convention.[15] None of the names put forward were allowed to speak.[16]

On November 5, 2024, Romman won re-election in Georgia State House of Representatives for House District 97.[17]

2026 gubernatorial campaign

Main article: 2026 Georgia gubernatorial election

On September 29, 2025, Romman announced she was running for Governor of Georgia in the 2026 election.[6] She withdrew from the campaign on February 25, 2026, saying she saw no path to victory, and instead announced a campaign for the Georgia State Senate in the 7th district.[7] She did not immediately endorse another candidate, but did say that that she opposed former Republican Lieutenant Governor Geoff Duncan's campaign for the Democratic nomination.[7]

References

  1. ^ a b c "US midterms: Three Palestinian-Americans win seats". The New Arab. November 9, 2022. Archived from the original on November 9, 2022. Retrieved November 12, 2022.
  2. ^ a b c d Elassar, Alaa (November 13, 2022). "Georgia candidate makes history as first known Muslim and Palestinian woman elected to state House | CNN Politics". CNN. Archived from the original on November 15, 2022. Retrieved November 15, 2022.
  3. ^ a b c d e Jackson, Mariel (November 28, 2022). "McCourt alumna wins big in Georgia House race". McCourt School of Public Policy. Archived from the original on December 30, 2022. Retrieved December 30, 2022.
  4. ^ a b Salzer, James. "GOP lose a few seats, keeps control of Legislature after redistricting". The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. ISSN 1539-7459. Archived from the original on November 9, 2022. Retrieved November 9, 2022.
  5. ^ Mithani, Jasmine (December 12, 2022). "Why the 2022 election was historic for Muslim women's representation". The 19th. Archived from the original on December 30, 2022. Retrieved December 30, 2022.
  6. ^ a b Bluestein, Greg. "Ruwa Romman to run for Georgia governor on progressive platform". The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. ISSN 1539-7459. Retrieved September 29, 2025.
  7. ^ a b c Bluestein, Greg (February 26, 2026). "Democratic lawmaker quits race for Georgia governor". The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Retrieved February 26, 2026.
  8. ^ a b c d e f Helfand-Rogers, Candice (May 23, 2022). "Meet the Muslim Woman Running for Office in Georgia to Inspire, Win or Lose". The Story Exchange. Archived from the original on November 9, 2022. Retrieved November 9, 2022.
  9. ^ a b "Georgia State House – District 97 Democratic Primary Results | Detroit Free Press". www.freep.com. May 25, 2022. Archived from the original on November 9, 2022. Retrieved November 9, 2022.
  10. ^ "NARAL Pro-Choice Georgia Endorses Charlie Bailey for Lieutenant Governor and Slate of 19 Candidates in Key State Legislative Races". NARAL Pro-Choice America. August 30, 2022. Retrieved November 9, 2022.
  11. ^ "Ruwa Romman". Asian American Advocacy Fund. September 7, 2022. Retrieved November 9, 2022.
  12. ^ Biello, Peter (November 22, 2022). "Ruwa Romman feels 'huge responsibility' as first Muslim woman elected to the Georgia House". Georgia Public Broadcasting. Retrieved December 30, 2022.
  13. ^ "How Muslim American candidates made history in the midterms". PBS NewsHour. December 2, 2022. Archived from the original on December 30, 2022. Retrieved December 30, 2022.
  14. ^ Moore, Rachel (November 28, 2022). "Lawmakers Announce Creation Of The First Formal Legislative Asian American Pacific Islander (AAPI) Caucus In Georgia History – Georgia Senate Press Office". Archived from the original on December 30, 2022. Retrieved December 30, 2022.
  15. ^ Freishtat, Sarah; Stevens, Olivia; Yin, Alice (August 21, 2024). "Despite backing from Mayor Brandon Johnson and other Illinois pols, effort to put Palestinian American speaker on DNC stage fails". Chicago Tribune. Archived from the original on August 23, 2024. Retrieved August 23, 2024.
  16. ^ Lanard, Noah. "Exclusive: Here is the speech the Uncommitted movement wants to give at the DNC". Mother Jones. Archived from the original on August 23, 2024. Retrieved August 23, 2024.
  17. ^ "2024 GA State House General Election Results". USA Today. November 7, 2024. Retrieved November 7, 2024.
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