SALT LAKE CITY — Former U.S. Rep. Mia Love of Utah, the daughter of Haitian immigrants and the first Black Republican woman elected to Congress, passed away on Sunday at the age of 49.
Her family shared the news of her death through her X account. Love had recently undergone treatment for brain cancer and participated in an immunotherapy clinical trial at Duke University’s brain tumor center. Earlier this month, her daughter mentioned that Love was no longer responding to the treatment.
Love passed away peacefully at her home in Saratoga Springs, Utah, according to a statement from her family. They expressed their gratitude, saying, “With grateful hearts filled to overflowing for the profound influence of Mia on our lives, we want you to know that she passed away peacefully. We are thankful for the many good wishes, prayers, and condolences.”
Utah Gov. Spencer Cox remembered Love as a “true friend,” praising her legacy of service and offering condolences. “Her legacy of service inspired all who knew her. We pray for her family and mourn with them,” Cox said in a statement.
Love’s political career began in 2003 when she won a seat on the Saratoga Springs City Council. She later became the city’s mayor. In 2012, she narrowly lost a bid for the House against Democratic incumbent Rep. Jim Matheson in a district covering Salt Lake City suburbs. She ran again in 2014, defeating first-time candidate Doug Owens by about 7,500 votes. While she didn’t emphasize her race during campaigns, she acknowledged the significance of her election, breaking barriers as a Black, Republican, Mormon woman in overwhelmingly white Utah.
Love was briefly seen as a rising star in the GOP but distanced herself from Donald Trump, who was unpopular among many Utah voters, during the 2016 election. She refused to support Trump after the release of a 2005 recording in which he made lewd comments, opting instead to endorse Texas Sen. Ted Cruz. She later ran for a third term in 2018 but lost by fewer than 700 votes to Democratic challenger Ben McAdams, despite a Republican-leaning district.
After her defeat, Love served as a political commentator on CNN and as a fellow at the University of Sydney. She publicly expressed being “OK with the outcome” of Trump’s election, acknowledging his controversial statements but also supporting policies she believed would benefit all Americans.
