First black Republican congresswoman dies

Mia Love, the first US black Republican congresswoman, has died aged 49 in Utah, her family has announced.

She passed away peacefully on Sunday, surrounded by family at her home in Saratoga Springs, a statement said.

Love, a daughter of Haitian immigrants, had represented the state of Utah in the House of Representatives.

Her daughter Abigale said earlier this month that Love had no longer been responding to treatment for brain cancer.

“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 family statement, which was posted on X, said.

Paying tributes to Love, Utah Governor Spencer Cox wrote: “A true trailblazer and visionary leader, Mia inspired countless Utahns through her courage, grace, and unwavering belief in the American dream.

“Her legacy leaves a lasting, positive impact on our state. We will miss her deeply.”

Mia Love’s political career formally started in 2003 when she won a seat on the Saratoga Springs’ city council, and she later became the mayor, aged 34.

In 2014, she was elected to the US House of Representatives. The daughter of Haitian immigrants, she made history as the first Black Republican woman to take up the role, and served two terms.

Her re-election bid four years later ended in a razor-thin defeat to her Democratic rival Ben McAdams.

Love was diagnosed with glioblastoma, a fast-moving and aggressive form of brain cancer, in 2022 and was given 10-15 months to live – which she surpassed.

Her death comes nearly two weeks after Love wrote an opinion piece for Deseret News, which she said was “not to say goodbye but to say thank you and express my living wish for you and the America I know”.