By Andrian Putra
In the span of just 48 hours this week, Georgia's Asian American and Pacific Islander political community experienced one of its most dramatic reshufflings in recent memory. Three AAPI trailblazers — state Sen. Nabilah Islam Parkes, state Rep. Ruwa Romman, and Rep. Saira Draper, the chosen successor of retiring Sen. Elena Parent — have repositioned themselves across Georgia's electoral map, setting up a high-stakes race to the May 19, 2026, Democratic primary.
The announcements are deeply interconnected: each move triggered the next in a cascade of decisions that illustrates both the growing influence of AAPI voices in Georgia politics and the difficult calculus candidates face when balancing ambition, funding, and electoral strategy in a rapidly evolving political environment.
Islam Parkes Enters Lieutenant Governor's Race
In a move that surprised much of the Georgia political establishment, state Sen. Nabilah Islam Parkes announced her candidacy for lieutenant governor on one of the final days of the qualifying period — pivoting from an earlier bid for Commissioner of Insurance and Safety Fire.
Islam Parkes, who represents Gwinnett County's 7th Senate District, is no stranger to making history. When first elected in 2022, she became the youngest woman ever elected to the Georgia Senate at just 32 years old, as well as the first Muslim woman and first South Asian woman to serve in that chamber.
Her entry into the lieutenant governor's race was directly sparked by an inflammatory campaign advertisement released by Republican state Sen. Greg Dolezal, who depicted Muslims terrorizing white Georgia residents and called them “invaders,” ending with the message “keep Georgia sharia free.” The ad drew immediate, widespread condemnation from Georgia's Muslim lawmakers and civil rights community.
Islam Parkes was unequivocal in her response. “That type of bigotry is what I will make sure we check in the state Senate,” she said, adding that she joined the race specifically to shift the tone of the chamber and push for legislation that benefits working Georgia families.
Her entry was not without Democratic Party friction. State Sen. Josh McLaurin of Sandy Springs, who had been running for the position since last May and was considered the Democratic frontrunner, pushed back, questioning whether the late pivot demonstrated the readiness to govern that the role demands. Islam Parkes joins McLaurin and Richard Wright on the Democratic side, while five Republicans have also qualified for the seat — one the GOP has held since 2008.
Romman Exits Governor's Race, Targets Senate District 7
State Rep. Ruwa Romman had been pursuing what would have been a truly historic campaign — a bid to become the first Democrat elected governor of Georgia this century. Instead, citing financial headwinds and the entry of “dark money” backing another candidate, Romman announced she would suspend her gubernatorial run and redirect her campaign toward Georgia's Senate District 7.
Romman, who in 2022 became the first native Jordanian and Muslim woman elected to Georgia's legislature, told supporters the financial landscape had shifted dramatically. She explained that well-financed outside groups were lining up behind former Republican Lt. Gov. Geoff Duncan — now running as a Democrat — and that grassroots networks she had counted on were redirecting their resources to states like North Carolina and Texas, leaving her without the infrastructure necessary to compete at the gubernatorial level.
Romman was careful not to endorse anyone in the governor's race, but she had previously made clear her opposition to Duncan, arguing that his lack of concrete policy positions made him a weak standard-bearer for Democratic values in Georgia.
Rather than exit the political stage, Romman announced she would channel her movement into Senate District 7 — the very seat vacated by Islam Parkes's move to the lieutenant governor's race. The Gwinnett County-based seat, in northeastern metro Atlanta, is a natural fit for Romman's coalition of progressive and AAPI voters.
Alongside her Senate campaign, Romman also announced the launch of a new grassroots organization called “Georgia We Deserve,” aimed at building the long-term organizing infrastructure her gubernatorial campaign lacked. Her message to supporters was one of defiant resilience. “There are a lot of people that want us to quit, that want us to be cynical,” she said. “We cannot let those people convince us to be self-defeating.”
Sen. Elena Parent Retires, Endorses Rep. Saira Draper
After a decade in the Georgia State Senate and an additional term in the state House before that, Sen. Elena Parent announced on March 5 that she would not seek re-election, closing a chapter of sustained progressive leadership in the 44th District — and opening the door for her chosen successor, Rep. Saira Draper.
Parent, who has served as Minority Caucus Chair and held seats on the Judiciary, Education, Appropriations, and Government Oversight committees, reflected honestly on her tenure — calling it “rewarding, and, at times, frustrating, but always meaningful.” She acknowledged the difficult reality of serving as a Democrat in a Republican-dominated legislature, noting that success sometimes meant simply showing up for constituents who envision a better Georgia, even when landmark legislation was out of reach.
In her retirement announcement, Parent endorsed Rep. Saira Draper, D-Atlanta, as her replacement, describing her as “an effective legislator who will represent the citizens of the 44th with dedication and distinction.” Draper, who represents House District 90, quickly qualified to run for the 44th Senate District seat. Republican candidate Ngozi Orabueze has also qualified, setting up a contested general election should Draper advance through the May 19 primary.
The Big Picture: A Connected Cascade
What makes this week's announcements so striking is how tightly interlocked they are. Islam Parkes's jump to the lieutenant governor's race directly opened Senate District 7, creating the opportunity that Romman — fresh off a painful but principled pivot — stepped into. Parent's retirement from the 44th created space for Draper. Each decision both responded to and created the conditions for the next.
For Georgia's AAPI community, the significance is profound. All three of the AAPI candidates reshaping this electoral cycle — Islam Parkes, Romman, and Draper — are women. All three are running in Democratic primaries where AAPI voter turnout and grassroots organizing could prove decisive. And all three are doing so in the shadow of rising Islamophobia and anti-Asian sentiment that have made the political climate in Georgia, and nationally, both more dangerous and more urgent to confront.
With qualifying now closed and the May 19 primary approaching, Georgia's AAPI voters will have an unprecedented opportunity to shape their own representation in both chambers of the state legislature — and, potentially, in statewide executive office.
