Atlanta, October 1, 2025 — State Representative Ruwa Romman has officially announced her candidacy for Governor of Georgia, marking a historic moment in the state’s political landscape. The Duluth Democrat, who represents parts of Gwinnett County, made history in 2020 as the first Muslim woman and first Palestinian American elected to the Georgia House of Representatives. Now, she’s setting her sights on the governor’s mansion with an ambitious progressive platform centered on economic opportunity and social services.
“I’m running for Governor to raise the minimum wage, reopen hospitals, feed hungry kids, take homes back from corporations and invest in small businesses,” Romman said in her announcement. “It’s time to build a movement that will change who represents us and fight for a Georgia we can afford.”
Rising Progressive Voice
Romman has emerged as a rising star among progressives in the Democratic Party, both in Georgia and nationally. She gained national prominence at the 2024 Democratic National Convention, where she advocated for Palestinian rights. Though initially denied a speaking slot at the convention, Romman later shared her prepared remarks with Rolling Stone magazine, further elevating her profile among progressive activists.
Her candidacy comes at a pivotal moment for Georgia Democrats, who have seen the state become increasingly competitive in recent election cycles while still facing significant challenges in statewide races.
Campaign Platform
Romman’s gubernatorial platform emphasizes several key priorities that resonate with progressive voters and address concerns felt across Georgia’s diverse communities:
Economic Justice: Romman is calling for raising Georgia’s minimum wage and investing in small businesses to create economic opportunities for working families. She has pledged to take on corporate control of housing, promising to “take homes back from corporations” to address the state’s affordable housing crisis.
Healthcare Access: A cornerstone of her campaign is the commitment to reopen hospitals that have closed in recent years, particularly in rural and underserved communities. Hospital closures have disproportionately affected low-income and minority communities across Georgia, leaving many residents with limited access to emergency and specialized care.
Child Welfare: Romman has made feeding hungry children a central promise of her campaign, recognizing food insecurity as a critical issue affecting Georgia families.
Community Organizing Roots
Speaking to supporters, Romman emphasized that her campaign would be built on grassroots organizing and voter engagement. She has argued that Democrats need a clearer progressive vision and a greater focus on organizing voters at the community level.
Her campaign represents an effort to energize the diverse coalition that makes up Georgia’s Democratic base, including Asian American and Pacific Islander communities, which have shown growing political engagement in recent election cycles across metro Atlanta and the state.
The Road Ahead
Romman enters a crowded Democratic primary field for the 2026 gubernatorial race. On the Republican side, Lieutenant Governor Burt Jones, Attorney General Chris Carr, and Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger have all expressed interest in running to succeed Governor Brian Kemp, who is term-limited.
As the campaign unfolds, Romman will need to build name recognition across the state while competing for support among Democratic primary voters. Her candidacy offers Georgia voters a clear progressive alternative and continues the trend of increasingly diverse candidates seeking statewide office.
For a state that has seen dramatic political and demographic shifts in recent years, Romman’s historic candidacy represents another chapter in Georgia’s evolving political story. Whether her progressive message can resonate with enough voters to secure the Democratic nomination and mount a competitive general election campaign remains to be seen, but her entry into the race ensures that issues of economic justice, healthcare access, and corporate accountability will be central to the Democratic primary debate. – Georgia Asian Times
