Mia Love, former Republican congresswoman, dead at 49

Mia Love, the first Republican Black woman elected to the United States Congress, is dead at 49. The former Utah U.S. representative’s family confirmed her death in a public statement. Love suffered from a years-long battle with glioblastoma brain cancer.

Love died “peacefully” at her home on Sunday surrounded by family, said the statement shared on the former congresswoman’s Instagram page.

”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,” said Love’s family.

Love’s death comes weeks after her family shared the tragic update that her body was no longer responding to treatment and that her cancer was progressing. The typical survival rate for glioblastoma brain cancer is about a year and a half and less than 10% of survival after five years, according to the MD Anderson Cancer Center.

Love, the daughter of Haitian immigrants, made history in 2014 when she became the nation’s first Republican Black woman elected to Congress as the U.S. representative for Utah’s 4th Congressional District. She served for two terms between 2015 and 2019. While in Congress, Love championed sexual assault prevention and immigration reform. In 2018, Love notably clashed with Donald Trump, then the 45th president of the United States, by joining Democrats in condemning the Trump administration’s child separation policy at the U.S. border.

Love was one of the few Republicans not to endorse Trump in the 2016 presidential election. She announced just before Election Day that she would not vote for Trump following the release of the infamous Access Hollywood video of him bragging about touching women sexually without their consent. “His behavior and bravado have reached a new low,” she said at the time.

After she lost re-election in 2018, Love became a political contributor for CNN and made several appearances as a guest co-host for “The View.”

Last year, Love opened up about her cancer diagnosis with CNN’s Jake Tapper, revealing that despite being given a 10-15 month prognosis to live, she turned to her faith and remained hopeful for the best outcome.

In a Facebook post, former Congresswoman Love said her cancer battle “hasn’t been an easy journey” and wanted to be open about it to “give others hope.”

“Whether you are facing a cancer diagnosis yourself, or fighting a different battle, there is hope! For me, that hope comes from my faith and my family,” she wrote. “Both have been a source of immeasurable strength, peace, love, and support. Every day, I thank God for my life and a family who give that life beauty and meaning.”