Ruwa Romman making historic bid for Georgia governor

ATLANTA, Ga. (Atlanta News First) - For a state that hasn’t elected a Democrat as governor in the 21st century, a lot of them are running for Georgia’s highest office next year.

Before Monday, six Democrats were hoping to succeed outgoing Gov. Brian Kemp in 2026’s midterms. Now, that number has climbed to seven, as state Rep. Ruwa Romman, a two-term lawmaker from Duluth, launched her campaign today.

Romman joins former DeKalb County CEO Michael Thurmond, former Atlanta mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms; former state Sen. Jason Esteves; state Rep. Derrick Jackson; businessman/ pastor Olu Brown; and Republican-turned-Democrat and former Lt. Gov. Geoff Duncan in next year’s Democratic gubernatorial primary.

All candidates have strong ties to Atlanta, and all would make history if elected governor on Nov. 3, 2026.

Romman made history herself in 2022 when she became the first native Jordanian and Muslim woman elected to Georgia’s legislature; her 97th district includes Gwinnett’s communities of Duluth and Pinckneyville.

She moved to the United States at age seven, and has a background as a senior consultant for Deloitte and in local politics.

“Republicans have controlled our state for over 20 years and in that time we’ve ranked lower in education, hospitals have shut down, and the minimum wage remains at an abysmal $5.15 an hour,” Romman said in her campaign announcement. “It’s time to build a movement that will change who represents us and fight for a Georgia we can afford.”

Romman rose to national prominence when she was denied a speaking opportunity at the 2024 Democratic National Convention to discuss her Palestinian roots, and later shared the speech she would have given with Rolling Stone magazine.

Romman has been a leading voice for Palestine in the Georgia state house.

“I am proud of my Palestinian background, I’m not ashamed of it, I’m not here to hide it,” she said. “I actually think that is why Georgians can believe that I’m somebody who fights for them, because all my life I’ve had to be a fighter and I’ve never backed down from a fight.”

Her outspokenness on the issue has created tension with some even in her own party. Upon her announcement, State Representative Esther Panitch, the General Assembly’s only Jewish elected member and a Democrat, accused Romman of “sabotaging the Democratic Party with her Mamdani-like, socialist platform,” in a reference to Zohran Mamdani, the Democratic nominee for New York City Mayor and a member of the Democratic Socialists of America.

Romman’s campaign said she will focus on reopening hospitals; feeding hungry kids; raising wages for workers; supporting small businesses; and taking back housing from corporations who are making it impossible for Georgia families to compete.

“For us it’s about, how do we get more people off the sidelines,” said Romman. “I think when you look at the campaigns that have been run in the state, [Democrats] have actually tried to run them more to the center and to the right. And right now what people are looking for is not left versus right, they’re looking for top versus bottom.”

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On the GOP side, Lt. Gov. Burt Jones; Attorney General Chris Carr; and Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger are seeking the Republican nomination. Carr was the first Republican to enter the race, followed by Jones - who has already been endorsed by President Donald Trump, and then Raffensperger.

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