Former Representative Mia Love dies at 49 after a battle with glioblastoma, her family announced on March 23, 2025.
Love, born Ludmya Bourdeau in Brooklyn, New York, was the daughter of Haitian immigrants. She rose to national prominence as a trailblazer in American politics. In 2014, she became the first Haitian American elected to Congress, the first Black person elected to Congress from Utah, and the first Black Republican woman to serve in the U.S. House of Representatives.
Before her time in Congress, Love served on the Saratoga Springs City Council and was later elected mayor in 2010. Her leadership and conservative principles quickly caught national attention. She delivered a widely noted speech at the 2012 Republican National Convention and narrowly lost her first congressional bid that same year. Two years later, she returned to win Utah’s 4th Congressional District and served from 2015 to 2019.
After losing re-election by just 694 votes in 2018, Love transitioned into political commentary, joining CNN as an analyst in 2019. She continued advocating for civic leadership, often speaking to college students and young professionals about character, purpose, and leading with principle.
Her final Facebook post captured the values she championed throughout her life. She urged others to pursue purpose, master self-discipline, and lead by example—lessons she said were shaped by her parents, her husband Jason, and their shared journey raising children.
The Love family shared:
“She passed away peacefully at 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.”
Former Representative Mia Love dies, but her legacy of courage, conviction, and community uplift will continue to inspire generations.
Funeral arrangements and a public celebration of her life will be announced in the coming days.
Previous Article: Rep. Sylvester Turner, Former Houston Mayor, Dies at 70
