(RNS) — In 2022, Ruwa Romman made history as the first Muslim woman to be elected in the Georgia House of Representatives. Now she hopes to make more history as the first woman and first Muslim to win the governor’s mansion in the Peach State.
Romman first gained prominence during the 2024 Democratic National Convention, when party officials canceled her speech shortly before she was slated to appear. The granddaughter of Palestinian refugees, Romman was a leader of the Uncommitted movement, a coalition of voters who vowed to withhold support from the Democratic ticket over its handling of the Israel-Hamas war.
In her planned remarks, later published in Rolling Stone, Romman said she endorsed Kamala Harris but also denounced the devastation caused by Israel’s military campaign in Gaza.
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On Monday (Sept. 29), as she launched her campaign in a short clip posted on X, Romman promised to raise Georgia’s minimum wage, reopen hospitals and invest in small businesses if she wins the November 2026 election.
Born in Jordan, Romman moved to the U.S. at age seven and grew up in Forsyth County, Georgia. After graduating from Georgetown, Romman worked as the communications director for the Council on American-Islamic Relations’ Georgia chapter and as a consultant for Deloitte, until her election.
In an interview with Religion News Service on Monday (Sept. 29), Romman discussed the Democratic Party’s losses in the 2024 election, being a Muslim woman in politics and her strategy to win over Georgians.
This interview has been edited for length and clarity.
Georgia is a Republican state, but we’ve seen some successes of progressives like Senators Warnock and Ossoff. From your perspective, what is the pathway to victory for progressives in Georgia?
We are building a campaign aimed at mobilizing people who have been on the sidelines because they are understandably very cynical. Right now, our opposition isn’t left or right, it’s cynicism and nihilism that has really settled in a lot of people. But the reality is that our state has been one that is trending in a very different direction. It is young, it is one that is very entrepreneurial. Those in power have not really leaned into that.
Which issues are you most looking forward to addressing with Georgians?
We want to raise the minimum wage, feed hungry kids, reopen hospitals, invest in small businesses and take homes back from corporations.
I’m really excited to talk to as many Georgians as possible, and to be able to raise awareness about the issues impacting our state. Any time we talk about Georgia, it’s in the context of national politics, but in order to win on the national stage, we have to address the issues happening right here in our own backyards. And so that is going to be a very, very important part of this campaign.
In an interview with RNS in June, you had just returned from New York where you were canvassing for Zohran Mamdani. How has what’s happening in New York inspired or influenced your own approach to this campaign?
What we saw in New York was essentially tactics of a campaign done well: having a clear and concise policy platform, using digital media to reach more people, being able to reach people wherever they are. That is going to be very important. When you have a clear message, voters and volunteers know what they are actually supporting.
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I’m really happy that people are paying more attention to the value of a people-powered campaign because of Zohran, but what’s happening with mine is very Georgia-specific. Republicans have controlled our state for over 20 years, and in that time, hospitals have shut down. The minimum wage on our books is still $5.15 an hour, our education system continues to fall lower in rankings. There is a very Georgia-specific context to why we launched this campaign, and it’s so that we can put Georgians first and actually fight for them, not corporations and special interests.
Last year, your speech at the Democratic National Convention was canceled at the last minute. How do you see the Democratic Party’s treatment of pro-Palestinian voices now, and have you seen more space given to pro-Palestinian perspectives?
Last year we lost support with every single demographic group. It was a complete backsliding across the board. This is not about one group, one entity. While that’s how most people learned about me and met me, I’ve been doing this work in our state for over a decade. So yes, that was a very big missed opportunity on behalf of the party. But for voters, the party isn’t something they think about every day. They don’t really get engaged in this way. But I want to be clear on the fact that we want to show the party where the heart and soul of our base is.
There’s been a surge in anti-Muslim rhetoric — attacks against Mamdani’s faith, Muslim activists being placed in ICE detention, talk at the National Conservative Conference of banning Muslim immigration. As you’re launching this campaign, do you have any concerns about how this climate may impact you politically and personally?
Of course. I mean, this is the context that we are in, but the entire message we are saying is we need to be brave. We can’t just be scared and turn around and put our heads in the sand. This is a pivotal moment in our history, and it is incumbent upon all of us to show up and build for the future that we want.
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How do you plan on connecting with those voters who might have biases or misconceptions about your religious identity? How do you plan on approaching that?
Just the way I’ve approached it growing up here. I grew up in Forsyth County, and I learned to speak with people very different than I am. What I found is that most people are willing to listen and most people are willing to learn. And for Georgians, their No. 1 priority is, how do they build a good life for them and their kids.