Family and friends of former U.S. Representative Mia Love will gather in Salt Lake City on Monday to celebrate her life and legacy. Love, who passed away in March at the age of 49 due to brain cancer, was the first Black Republican woman elected to Congress.
Born Ludmya Bourdeau to Haitian immigrants, Love served Utah in Congress from 2015 to 2019. She had been battling an aggressive brain tumor called glioblastoma, undergoing various treatments including immunotherapy as part of a clinical trial. Despite her diagnosis in 2022, which gave her an estimated 10 to 15 months to live, Love defied expectations and survived nearly three years.
On Sunday evening, state lawmakers and members of the public paid their respects at the Utah Capitol, where Love’s flag-draped coffin was displayed in the rotunda. Her memorial service is scheduled for Monday morning at the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints Institute of Religion on the University of Utah campus, followed by an honor guard presentation.
Love’s political journey began in 2003 when she won a seat on the Saratoga Springs City Council, becoming the city’s mayor in 2009—Utah’s first Black female mayor. She gained national attention after a compelling speech at the 2012 Republican National Convention. Though she narrowly lost her first congressional race that year, she successfully won a seat in 2014, defeating a first-time candidate by about 7,500 votes.
While she rarely focused on her race during campaigns, Love acknowledged the historic nature of her election, breaking barriers in predominantly white Utah. Although she was seen as a rising star in the Republican Party, her influence waned as former President Donald Trump’s hold on the party grew. Love distanced herself from Trump, openly criticizing him in 2018 for his offensive remarks about immigrants from Haiti, El Salvador, and African nations. Later that year, she lost her congressional seat as Democrats gained momentum during the midterm elections.
