Profile: Ruwa Romman, from Palestinian immigrant roots to making history in Georgia politics

By MNTV Staff Writer

Palestinian American lawmaker, who made history as Georgia’s first Muslim woman legislator, is seeking election to state Senate in November.

Born in Jordan to a Palestinian family whose roots trace back to villages uprooted during the 1948 Nakba, Ruwa Romman grew up in the American state of Georgia, where her childhood was shaped by both her immigrant family’s experiences and the anti-Muslim hostility that followed the September 11, 2001, attacks.

Classmates called her a terrorist and made remarks suggesting that her family manufactured bombs. Those experiences exposed her early to the prejudice faced by Muslims in America and eventually helped shape her commitment to civil rights, political participation and community advocacy.

More than two decades later, Romman has become a prominent Palestinian American voice in Georgia politics. After making history in 2022 as the first Muslim woman elected to the Georgia House of Representatives, she is now seeking a seat in the state Senate.

The 33-year-old Democrat is contesting Georgia’s 7th Senate District in the November 3 midterm elections against Republican Aizaz Shahbaz Shaikh, an Air Force veteran and small business owner.

Romman secured the Democratic nomination after defeating Rahul Garabadu in a June 16 runoff, winning 60.3% of the vote against his 39.7%. The runoff followed a three-way primary in May in which no candidate secured an outright majority.

Her latest campaign marks another chapter in a political journey that began with grassroots organizing, Muslim civic engagement and efforts to expand political representation for historically marginalized communities.

Palestinian roots and American upbringing

Romman was born on June 14, 1993, in Amman, Jordan, to Palestinian parents, Bilal and Sana Romman. She is the eldest of four children.

Her family’s history is closely connected to the Palestinian displacement of 1948, known as the Nakba, when hundreds of thousands of Palestinians were forced from or fled their homes during the establishment of Israel.

Her grandfather came from Suba, a Palestinian village near Jerusalem that was depopulated and destroyed in 1948, while her grandmother’s family originated from al-Walaja, another Palestinian village affected by displacement and land loss.

Romman moved to Georgia as a child and grew up in Cumming, a predominantly conservative community north of Atlanta.

Her early years coincided with a period of heightened suspicion and hostility toward Muslims following the September 11 attacks.

As a visibly Muslim girl who wore the hijab, she encountered discrimination and stereotypes about Islam. Her parents were initially unaware of the extent of the harassment she faced at school.

Rather than retreating from public life, she began engaging with classmates about her faith and challenging misconceptions about Muslims.

These experiences later influenced her involvement in organizations working on civil rights, political representation and voter participation.

Romman attended Oglethorpe University in Georgia, graduating in 2015 with a bachelor’s degree in political science.

During her university years, she served as president of the Student Government Association and helped establish COEXIST, an organization promoting dialogue among students from different religious and cultural backgrounds.

She subsequently earned a master’s degree in public policy from Georgetown University in Washington, D.C., in 2019.

Her professional career included work in communications, political organizing and public policy.

She served as communications director for the Georgia chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations, a Muslim civil rights organization, and worked with the Georgia Muslim Voter Project to encourage greater political participation among Muslim Americans.

She also worked with the Asian American Advocacy Fund, participated in voter mobilization initiatives and gained experience in government consulting.

From grassroots organizer to state lawmaker

Romman’s entry into electoral politics followed years of campaigning and organizing for other candidates.

She had volunteered in political campaigns since 2014 and helped mobilize voters through community organizations, particularly among Muslim and Asian American communities.

Although she initially preferred working behind the scenes, encouragement from fellow organizers eventually persuaded her to seek elected office.

In 2022, she contested Georgia’s 97th House District as a Democrat, challenging Republican John Chan.

She won with approximately 57.7% of the vote, becoming the first Muslim woman elected to the Georgia House of Representatives and the first Palestinian American elected to public office in the state.

Her victory marked a milestone for Muslim political representation in Georgia, where the community had long participated in civic activism but remained underrepresented in elected government.

Romman took office in January 2023, representing a district in Gwinnett County, part of the Atlanta metropolitan area.

She secured reelection in November 2024, defeating Republican Michael Allen Corbin with approximately 58.8% of the vote.

During her legislative career, Romman has worked on issues including housing affordability, immigration, education, healthcare, voting rights and economic security.

One of her legislative priorities has been addressing the growing influence of corporate investors in Georgia’s housing market.

She introduced proposals aimed at removing tax advantages for corporations purchasing single-family homes, arguing that large investors make it harder for ordinary families to afford homeownership.

Her immigration-related work has included supporting protections for immigrants in sensitive locations such as schools, hospitals and places of worship.

She has also backed proposals requiring immigration enforcement officers to identify themselves, alongside broader efforts to protect immigrant communities from discriminatory enforcement practices.

On education, Romman has advocated higher teacher salaries, expanded access to free school meals and increased investment in public schools.

She has also supported measures addressing rising utility bills and the environmental and economic effects of expanding data center operations.

Her legislative positions reflect a broader emphasis on economic affordability, civil rights and access to public services.

Palestinian identity and national political spotlight

Romman’s Palestinian heritage became particularly prominent in her national political engagement during the Gaza war.

As Israel’s genocide devastated Gaza, she joined Palestinian American activists and progressive Democrats calling for a change in Washington’s policy toward Israel.

During the 2024 presidential election, she became involved with the Uncommitted Movement, which emerged in opposition to the Biden administration’s continued military and diplomatic support for Israel.

The movement sought to pressure Democratic leaders to address Palestinian demands, including a ceasefire and restrictions on US military assistance to Israel.

Romman attracted national attention during the Democratic National Convention in Chicago in August 2024, when organizers declined to provide a speaking slot for a Palestinian American representative.

She had been considered as a potential speaker and was prepared to address delegates about Palestinian suffering, her family’s history and the need for political engagement.

The decision to exclude a Palestinian American speaker drew criticism from activists who accused Democratic leaders of marginalizing Palestinian voices while seeking support from communities angered by the Gaza genocide.

For Romman, whose grandparents had experienced displacement from Palestine, the controversy carried personal significance.

Her involvement also highlighted the tensions confronting Palestinian American politicians seeking to influence US foreign policy while working within the Democratic Party.

Despite the disagreement, Romman continued advocating political participation and organizing within communities affected by the war.

New political chapter in 2026

Romman initially entered the 2026 election cycle with ambitions beyond the Georgia legislature.

She launched a campaign for governor, seeking the Democratic nomination in a state where Republicans have controlled the governor’s office for more than two decades.

However, in February 2026, she announced that she was ending her gubernatorial campaign and would instead seek election to the Georgia State Senate.

She cited fundraising difficulties and changes in the financial landscape of the governor’s race, including political resources being directed toward other competitive contests.

Her decision shifted her campaign from a statewide race to Georgia’s 7th Senate District, which includes several communities in Gwinnett County.

Romman subsequently entered a competitive Democratic primary against Rahul Garabadu and Astrid Ross.

In the May 19 primary, she received 38.2% of the vote, followed by Garabadu with 33.2% and Ross with 28.6%.

With no candidate securing a majority, Romman and Garabadu advanced to a runoff on June 16.

She won the runoff with 4,228 votes, or 60.3%, against Garabadu’s 2,787 votes, securing the Democratic nomination.

Her campaign for the state Senate focuses on housing affordability, public education, healthcare, immigration protections and economic opportunities for working families.

She has proposed raising Georgia’s minimum wage to at least $15 an hour, expanding Medicaid and strengthening protections for tenants and first-time homebuyers.

Romman has also called for greater investment in public schools, higher teacher salaries and measures to address rising household utility costs.

Her economic proposals include improving access to government contracts for small businesses and using state resources to encourage entrepreneurship and research.

On immigration, she continues to advocate restrictions on certain enforcement practices and stronger protections for immigrant families.

Her Republican opponent, Aizaz Shahbaz Shaikh, brings a background in military service, real estate and business to the November contest.

For Romman, the election represents an opportunity to move from the Georgia House to the state Senate after four years in the legislature.

Her political career has taken her from a Palestinian immigrant family’s home in Georgia to Muslim civic organizations, the state legislature and the national debate over US policy toward Palestine.

The November 3 election will determine whether she continues that journey in Georgia’s upper legislative chamber.