On Tuesday's Ballot: Two Palestinian American Women Could Make State Legislative History
When voters in Queens and suburban Atlanta go to the polls on November 3, two Palestinian American women are positioned to make history in their state legislatures — part of a broader slate of Arab American and Muslim candidates on ballots across the country this midterm cycle.
In New York, Aber Kawas is the Democratic nominee for State Senate District 12, covering Astoria, Long Island City and other parts of western Queens. Kawas, a longtime community organizer who spent more than a decade with the Arab American Association of New York working on immigrant rights and police reform, won her June Democratic primary against State Assemblymember Steven Raga by roughly 20 points, according to unofficial Board of Elections results reported by PoliticsNY. She carried endorsements from New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani and Senator Bernie Sanders. If elected, Kawas would be the first Palestinian American to serve in the New York State Legislature, succeeding outgoing Senator Michael Gianaris. She faces Republican Han Khon To in the general election.
In Georgia, State Representative Ruwa Romman is running for State Senate District 7 in Gwinnett County, after winning a Democratic primary runoff over fellow legislator Rahul Garabadu. Romman currently represents the state's 97th House District and, according to Fox 5 Atlanta's candidate profiles, was the first Muslim woman elected to the Georgia House of Representatives when she won that seat in 2022. Romman briefly ran for Georgia governor this cycle before withdrawing to seek the Senate seat instead. In the general election, she faces Republican Aizaz Shaikh, a Gwinnett County real estate broker and Air Force veteran.
Both candidates' campaigns have drawn national attention beyond their districts. Kawas has said her candidacy is personally significant given her family's history — her father, undocumented at the time, was detained for nearly three years following the September 11 attacks before being deported to Jordan, an experience she has cited as formative to her political views. Romman, who was born in Jordan to a Palestinian family and moved to Georgia as a child, became a prominent national figure in 2024 when the Democratic National Convention declined to let her address delegates on the floor about the Palestinian American experience; she spoke to supporters outside the convention hall instead.
Kawas and Romman are two of several Palestinian American candidates on ballots this cycle, alongside Michigan Congresswoman Rashida Tlaib, who is seeking a fifth term, and Colorado State Senator Iman Jodeh, who is running for a full term after being appointed to her seat last year. Both are established officeholders rather than first-time candidates.
Neither Kawas's nor Romman's general election outcome is guaranteed, though both represent heavily Democratic districts that favor their party's nominee. Both campaigns have emphasized local issues — affordability, immigration policy and housing — alongside foreign policy positions critical of US support for Israel's military campaign in Gaza, a stance that has drawn both enthusiastic grassroots backing and sharp criticism from pro-Israel commentators and outlets.
Results from Tuesday's elections will determine whether either becomes the first Palestinian American to hold a seat in their respective state legislature.