Mia Love, the first Black Republican woman elected to Congress, passed away on Sunday at 49 after a battle with brain cancer. Her family shared the heartbreaking news on her X account, saying she died peacefully at home in Saratoga Springs, Utah.
“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,” her family wrote. Love had been fighting glioblastoma, an aggressive brain cancer, and recently stopped responding to treatment.
A Fighter Until the End: Mia Love’s Final Message
Earlier this month, Love penned an emotional open letter in the Deseret News. She thanked supporters and shared her vision for America, shaped by her Haitian immigrant roots.
“I am taking up my pen, not to say goodbye but to say thank you and express my living wish for you and the America I know,” she wrote. Love described her belief in hardworking Americans—farmers, small business owners, military heroes, and dreamers who defy the odds.
Her words reflected her deep patriotism. “The America I know is great—not because government made it great but because ordinary citizens… are given the opportunity every day to do extraordinary things.”
From City Council to Congress: A Political Pioneer
Before making history in 2014 as the first Black Republican congresswoman, Love started in local politics. She won a seat on the Saratoga Springs City Council in 2003 and later became mayor.
Her first congressional run in 2012 ended in a close loss. But she refused to quit. Two years later, she won, proving skeptics wrong—especially those who doubted a Black, Mormon, Republican woman could win in mostly white Utah.
An Independent Voice in the Republican Party
Love was a rising GOP star but didn’t blindly follow party lines. In 2016, she refused to support Donald Trump after his controversial remarks about women. Instead, she backed Ted Cruz.
Even in Congress, she balanced party loyalty with independent thinking on trade and immigration. Still, she lost her 2018 re-election bid by fewer than 700 votes.
Life After Congress: A New Chapter in Media
After leaving office, Love became a CNN political commentator, sharing her sharp insights. Her family’s statement honored her spirit: “Mia quietly slipped the bands of mortality and, as her words and vision always did, soared heavenward.”
Plans for her funeral and a public celebration of her life will be announced soon.
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