Mia Love, First Black Woman Republican, Elected To Congress

Nationwide — 38-year old Mia Love, is now the the representative-elect for Utah’s 4th Congressional district. She is also the first black Republican woman elected to the U.S. House of Representatives. She defeated Democrat Doug Owens in a Utah district long held by conservative Democrat Jim Matheson. Back in 2012, Love lost to Matheson by only 768 votes.

But Love does not want to make this a racial matter. She tells CNN, “This has nothing to do with race. Utahans have made a statement that they’re not interested in dividing Americans based on race or gender, that they want to make sure that they are electing people who are honest – who have integrity, who could be able to go out and actually make sure that we represent the values that they hold dear.”

Formally, Love was the mayor of a small Utah city called Saratoga Springs where she says few Black residents lived. She comments, “I wasn’t elected because of the color of my skin. I wasn’t elected because of my gender. I was elected because of the solutions that I put at the table.”

She also added that she would consider joining the Congressional Black Caucus, which currently is all Democrats.

Love, born in Brooklyn, New York, is also a daughter of Haitian-American immigrants. She is the first Haitian-American of any party to be elected to Congress.

She told supporters, “Thank you for the trust you have placed in me. I will work every day to be deserving of it. Regardless of who you voted for today, I hope you know that I am going to Washington to represent everyone in the district and invite you to engage with me in finding real solutions to the challenges we face as a country.”

For more details about Mia Love, visit www.love4utah.com