First Palestinian American elected to public office in US state of Georgia

Washington: A young community organizer has become the first Palestinian American elected to public office in the US state of Georgia.

Ruwa Romman, a 29-year-old progressive Democrat, was elected in the midterm elections this week to represent District 97 in the state’s House of Representatives at the Georgia General Assembly.

Romman defeated her Republican opponent, who was accused of using racist, anti-Muslim tactics to intimidate voters and tarnish her image. Nevertheless, Romman won by a clear margin, claiming almost 58 percent of the vote.

She told that the majority of people in her district had supported her during her campaign and protected her whenever she felt



threatened by the supporters of her opponent, John Chan, who described himself as a “MAGA Republican,” a reference to former former president Donald Trump’s “Make America Great Again” slogan.

“I was able to develop a trust relationship with the communities in my district, especially with conservative groups who came out and supported me and defended me against my opponent’s attacks,” Romman said.

Thanks to that support, she said, she was able to overcome the vicious, Islamophobic attacks by her opponent’s campaign.

“I feel really lucky because I live in a great community that really cares about me” she added.