The first Muslim and Palestinian woman to ever be elected to Georgia’s House of Representatives, Ruwa Romman, believes she is the candidate voters will need to elect as the state’s next governor. In the midst of a career of civic engagement and representation, Romman, 32, is looking to take a step toward not only representing her people and the people of the state’s 97th District, but all Georgians as a gubernatorial candidate.
“I think our jobs right now are to be moral leaders, and what I mean by that is that we should not be leading based on what’s trending and what’s popular. We should be leading based on what’s right,” Romman said.
On Tuesday, Oct. 22, Romman, who moved with her family to the United States from Jordan when she was seven, visited The Atlanta Voice to discuss her campaign and what she wants most for Georgia.
“Even in a moment when people are at first mad at you, if you’re willing to lead with morality, they do come around,” Romman said.
The Atlanta Voice: Rep. Romman, thank you for dropping by to chat. My first question of all of the candidates in this race is always the same: Why do you believe you are the best candidate for Georgia governor?
Rep. Ruwa Romman: I want to be governor of Georgia so that we can raise the minimum wage, feed hungry kids, reopen hospitals, invest in small businesses, and take homes back from corporations.
AV: That’s going to take a lot of work.
RR: I know. I think anyone who is running for this position had better be ready to work.
AV: On your campaign website, it says in part, “After 20 years of Republican rule, Georgians are worse off. We can’t build the Georgia we deserve with Republicans in charge.” Could you elaborate?
RR: If you listen to what I call Republican propaganda, because that is what it’s become, you will hear them talk about we are the number one place to do business. My immediate question is, ‘For whom?” To be clear, it’s not even the best place for small businesses, because we are one of the worst states for small businesses. Twenty-five percent of small businesses fail within the first year in Georgia. This is a very difficult place for small businesses and entrepreneurs.
Romman also listed the state minimum wage of $5.15 per hour, two dollars under the federal minimum wage. “The fact that we haven’t even had a conversation about it since I was four years old is an absurdity to me,” said Romman. “That shows how completely upside down Republican priorities have been. We need to start owning that, saying that, and being very plain about it.”
AV: Do you believe you’re ready for what’s to come?
RR: Absolutely. If I didn’t think I was prepared for it, I wouldn’t be doing it. The reality of the situation is that, growing up in Georgia, I’ve had a lot of life experiences that have really prepared me, whether it is growing up in Forsyth County before it became as diverse as it is today. Whether it is having to experience multiple unprecedented times for our generation. Way too many for any generation to experience.
There’s so much in my life that has brought me to this moment that has really called me to this moment.
AV: What, if anything, concerns you about the last woman who ran for the office of governor, who was equally as educated, energetic, and good at organizing people, and how those particular campaigns ended?
RR: It’s actually not a concern; it’s inspiration. I deeply believe that campaigns are building blocks and that even in the losses, if we nurture what we build, it can move us forward. I’m assuming you are referring to Stacey Abrams.
AV: I am.
RR: In 2018, she was the one who got the closest of any candidate that has ever run for governor. It’s deeply important to remember that. On her second turn, it was a year when the governor was an incumbent. If you look around the country, she lost by the smallest margin. Again, a loss is a loss, and I don’t only believe in moral victories, but the reality of the situation is that it’s a mixture of timing, context, and where people are.
Romman credits Abrams’ two campaigns as inspirations to her political career, saying, “I ended up going to grad school [at Georgetown University’s McCourt School of Public Policy] because of that campaign and doing work on voting rights.”
AV: You co-founded Georgia Volunteer Hub in 2020, which helped train thousands of volunteers for the Georgia Senate runoff that year. Flash forward to this year, how has that kind of work prepared you for what’s next as a candidate for governor?
RR: That work is going to influence my entire ethos. We are already going to start door-knocking on Saturday, Oct. 25. We will be launching in Norcross, and we will begin there and work our way out. Our goal is to recruit 5,000 volunteers by the end of the primary.
Romman told The Atlanta Voice that there have already been 300 volunteers signed up from dozens of counties.
AV: We are in the early stages of the gubernatorial race with the primaries still more than seven months away. Where have you held campaign rallies, and why did you choose those cities and counties?
RR: We haven’t done a campaign rally because of logistics and cost, but we just were in Savannah for “No Kings” last night [Monday, Oct. 20], we were in Athens, and we expected 10-15 to show up. We had over 40 people show up. Our goal is to be everywhere as much as possible.
AV: I saw that you spoke at a “No Kings” rally in Savannah last Saturday. I covered the rally here in Atlanta. What are your thoughts on how Americans expressed themselves last weekend? Do rallies like that really help change things?
RR: There is a starting point for everybody. I believe that. We never know what someone’s starting point is going to be. For example, I started out doing interfaith work and volunteering with those of other faiths, learning about the importance and the beauty of different people coming together towards a common and shared goal. We never know what an entryway for somebody is and where it can lead. To me, that’s what I see in these protests.
It’s a reminder that there are way more of us than them.
AV: What should potential voters know about you that they might not know if they don’t know you personally, have heard you speak, or don’t live in your district?
RR: I hope they come to learn that I am somebody who will never back down from a fight. Somebody who will always have their back, and someone who, regardless of what negotiating room I’m in, will put them before any special interests or corporation.
That’s been a deep belief of mine for as long as I can remember, and one that I intend to take into that Governor’s Mansion.
Romman said that people who will be seeing her in person for the first time while campaigning might immediately see her Hijab before they see anything else. And that’s OK, as long as they understand its importance in her life.
“At the end of the day, this to me is no different than wearing a cross or any other sign of faith,” Romman said. “I hope that they recognize it for what it is, which is a grounding thing in my life that has been very consistent in my life. This head scarf reminds me that there is something bigger than us. It is a reminder that we need to be our best selves in every place that we go.