Former Rep. Mia Love dies from brain cancer

SALT LAKE CITY— Former Utah Congresswoman Mia Love died on Sunday, according to a post from her family on X.

Love Family: With grateful hearts filled to overflowing for the profound influence of Mia on our lives, we want you to know that she passed away peacefully today. She was in her home surrounded by family. In the midst of a celebration of her life and an avalanche of happy… pic.twitter.com/YzhAuH1l9x

— Mia Love (@MiaBLove) March 24, 2025

She had been battling glioblastoma multiforme, a brain cancer, for three years, having been diagnosed in March 2022.

On March 11, after announcing her cancer was no longer responding to treatment, Love published an open letter in Deseret News. In it, she expressed her hopes for the country.

Love shared details of her family’s move from Haiti to the U.S. in her autobiography, ‘Qualified.’ After her parents arrived in the country, she was born in New York City on Dec. 6, 1975.

She later attended the University of Hartford, earning a degree in musical theater, according to Deseret News.

Mia Love’s political career

Per a Deseret News obituary, Love moved to Utah while she was working as a flight attendant. After she, her husband, Jason Love, and their children moved into a new home in Saratoga Springs, she began to dip her toes into politics.

According to Deseret News, it all started when midges infested in their home. A builder refused to treat the property, so she led a group that warned prospective buyers about the pests.

She was elected to Saratoga Springs City Council for the first time in 2003. Later, she ran for mayor, serving from 2010 to 2014. She spoke at the 2012 Republican National Convention.

Love first ran for Congress in 2012, losing narrowly to incumbent Jim Matheson.

She ran again in 2014, defeating Democratic opponent Doug Owens. Love became the first African-American Republican woman in Congress. Additionally, she was the first to represent the state of Utah.

Love defeated Owens a second time to win re-election in 2016. Mia Love believed that she, as a Republican, could make a difference in the lives of Utahns.

In the past, Love told KSL’s Doug Wright that she even pushed against the administration, bringing the ire of President Trump, to create legislation.

“I went against my own leadership to make sure that we are the ones promoting policy and writing the policies in Congress, not letting the administration to that, that’s not their job. Their job it to execute the laws that we write,” Love said.

She lost re-election in 2018 to Democrat Ben McAdams. In 2019, Love was hired as a political commentator by CNN.

Utah pols mourn Love

In a post on X, Utah Gov. Spencer Cox paid tribute, writing “Abby and I are heartbroken by the passing of our dear friend Mia Love.”

Abby and I are heartbroken by the passing of our dear friend Mia Love. 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… pic.twitter.com/sZ5WDikodI

— Governor Cox (@GovCox) March 24, 2025

Similarly, Aimee Winder Newton, Gov. Cox’s senior adviser and a member of Salt Lake County Council, paid tribute to love. She wrote this on X:

“Mia set such a great example of bravery and leadership and served with such honor and dignity. She’s been such a great example to me and I will miss her. My deepest condolences to the @miablove family”

Lieutenant Governor Deidre Henderson referred to Love as a “fearless leader, a history-maker, and a woman of deep conviction” in another X post. On her personal X account, Henderson further expressed her sorrow over Love’s death.

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This article corrects a misstated number of years Love had been battling cancer.