Former Republican Congresswoman Passes Away At 49

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Former Rep. Mia Love (R-UT) died Sunday after a three-year battle with brain cancer.

She was 49.

“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 today. She was in her home surrounded by family. In the midst of a celebration of her life and an avalanche of happy memories, Mia quietly slipped the bands of mortality and, as her words and vision always did, soared heavenward,” the Love family stated on social media.

“We are thankful for the many good wishes, prayers and condolences. We are taking some time as a family and will provide information about funeral services and a public celebration of her life in the days to come,” the statement added.

According to The Salt Lake Tribune, Love was a former City Council member, mayor, and the first Black Republican woman elected to Congress.

Love, the daughter of Haitian immigrants, served as the U.S. representative for Utah’s 4th congressional district from 2015 to 2019.

From The Salt Lake Tribune:

Gov. Spencer Cox, posting on X, said he was “heartbroken” by news of Love’s death. “From the time we were mayors together I could always count on Mia as a true friend,” Cox wrote. “Her legacy of service inspired all who knew her. We pray for her family and mourn with them.”

Love’s parents emigrated from Haiti, first, her father, Maxime Bourdeau, in 1974, followed by his wife, Marie, a few months later. Maxime got a maintenance job in New Jersey and the family settled in Brooklyn. Marie worked as a housekeeper and later as a nursing assistant.

On Dec. 6, 1975, they had a third child, Ludmya, and called her Mia for short.

The family relocated to Connecticut, and, in high school, Mia became involved in color guard and drama, landing roles in her first musicals. She later received a half-tuition scholarship at the University of Hartford’s Hartt School. In her senior year, she landed a role in a traveling production of “Smokey Joe’s Cafe.”

That same year — and shortly after her graduation and getting a job as a flight attendant — she joined her sister in attending a worship service of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. She was baptized in 1997. As a new convert, Love decided to move to West Jordan for a few months.

While there, she reconnected with Jason Love — whom she had briefly met when Love was serving his Latter-day Saint mission in New York. They began dating and married a few months later. The couple had three children — Alessa, Abigale and Peyton.

“A convert to the LDS Church and former mayor of Saratoga Springs, Utah, Love entered politics through local activism, eventually rising to national prominence,” Mario Nawfal noted.

“Diagnosed in ’22, she joined a clinical trial at Duke that extended her life well past the original prognosis. She is survived by her husband Jason, three children, a granddaughter, and her parents,” he added.

From the Associated Press:

Love entered politics in 2003 after winning a seat on the city council in Saratoga Springs, a growing community about 30 miles (48 kilometers) south of Salt Lake City. She later became the city’s mayor.

In 2012, Love narrowly lost a bid for the House against the Democratic incumbent, former Rep. Jim Matheson, in a district that covers a string of Salt Lake City suburbs. She ran again two years later and defeated first-time candidate Doug Owens by about 7,500 votes.

Love didn’t emphasize her race during her campaigns, but she acknowledged the significance of her election after her 2014 victory. She said her win defied naysayers who had suggested that a Black, Republican, Mormon woman couldn’t win a congressional seat in overwhelmingly white Utah.



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