Mia Love, first black GOP congresswoman, dies at 49

The former Utah representative passed away peacefully on Sunday at home with her family, according to a statement from the Love family. She made history as the first black female to serve as a Republican in Congress and represented Utah’s 4th Congressional District from 2015-2019. Love was born to Haitian immigrant parents who raised her as a Catholic. She converted to Mormonism and moved to Utah in the late 90s after meeting her husband, according to her House of Representatives biography. Love began her political career as a member of the Saratoga Springs city council in 2004 and was elected mayor in 2009.

How did she die? Love began battling glioblastoma, an aggressive brain cancer, in 2022 she said during an interview on CNN. Love’s daughter, Abigale, shared earlier this month that Love’s cancer had continued progressing and was no longer responding to treatment.

Glioblastoma has a very low survival rate. Other political figures like Sen. Edward “Ted” Kennedy, D-Mass., and Sen. John McCain R-Ariz., died from the same type of cancer. 

Utah Republicans including Gov. Spencer Cox, Sen. Mike Lee, and former Sen. Mitt Romney honored the late congresswoman in released statements. Republicans including Speaker of the House Mike Johnson, South Carolina Sen. Tim Scott, and former Speaker of the House Paul Ryan also issued statements mourning Love. Her family planned to share more details for memorials and her funeral in the coming days, according to their statement.