BLACK SOCIAL HISTORY
Mia Love
| Mia Love | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Love in March 2013 | |
| Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Utah's 4th district | |
| Incumbent | |
| Assumed office January 3, 2015 | |
| Preceded by | Jim Matheson |
| 3rd Mayor of Saratoga Springs | |
| In office January 8, 2010 – January 8, 2014 | |
| Preceded by | Timothy Parker |
| Succeeded by | Jim Miller |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Ludmya Bourdeau December 6, 1975 Brooklyn, New York, U.S. |
| Nationality | Haitian and American |
| Political party | Republican |
| Spouse(s) | Jason Love |
| Children | 3 |
| Alma mater | University of Hartford |
| Profession | Politician |
| Religion | The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (Mormon) |
Ludmya Bourdeau "Mia" Love (born December 6, 1975) is an Haitian-American politician and the U.S. Representative Utah's 4th congressional district. Previously the Mayor of Saratoga Springs, Utah from 2010 to 2014, Love is the first Haitian American and the first black female Republican in Congress,[1][2] as well as the first black woman from Utah in Congress.[3]
Love was the Republican nominee for the 4th congressional district in 2012, losing narrowly to incumbent Democratic Representative \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\Jim Matheson. She was also a speaker at the 2012 Republican National Convention. On May 18, 2013, Love said that she would run again in 2014.[4] She won the Republican nomination at the April 26, 2014 Utah Republican convention and was elected to the House of Representatives on November 4, 2014, defeating Democratic opponent Doug Owens.[1][2]
Early life and education
Love was born Ludmya Bourdeau on December 6, 1975, to Mary and Jean Maxine Bourdeau in Brooklyn, New York.[5] Both of her parents had emigrated from Haiti in 1973,[6] leaving their two other children behind.[7][8]
Her birth occurred just before an immigration law would expire in 1976.[9][10] Her father had been threatened by the Tonton Macoute, the secret police in Haiti, and came to the United States on a tourist visa.[11] When Love was five her family moved from Brooklyn toNorwalk, Connecticut.[12] Love attended Norwalk High School.[11] After the family moved to Norwalk, Connecticut, her parents brought her older siblings from Haiti.[2][13]
Love attended the University of Hartford with a half-tuition scholarship.[14] She graduated with a degree in the performing arts. While at the University of Hartford she was part of the Hartt School's Music Theatre program.[11] She worked at Sento Corporation and theEcopass Corporation.[15] She was also a flight attendant with Continental Airlines.[9][16]
Early political career
Love served as the community spokesperson in an effort to get the developer of her neighborhood in Saratoga Springs to spray against flies.[11]
Saratoga Springs City Council
Love won a seat on the Saratoga Springs City Council (Utah County) in 2003, becoming the first female Haitian-American elected official in Utah County, Utah; she took office in January 2004.[16] After six years on the Council she was elected Mayor,[17] winning with 861 votes to 594 for her opponent Jeff Francom.[18]
Mayor of Saratoga Springs
Love served as Mayor of Saratoga Springs, Utah, from January 2010 to January 2014.[15] She was part of the city council that approved a transition from the agriculture tax to municipal tax. She worked with other city council members to cut expenses, reducing the city's shortfall during the economic downturn from $3.5 million to $779,000. Saratoga Springs now has the highest possible bond rating for a city of its size.[19]
During her term as mayor, Love led the city through natural disasters including a wild fire which was followed shortly afterward by a severe mudslide.[20]
2012 congressional election
Love ran in Utah's 4th congressional district, which was created after the 2010 Census.[21][22] She competed for the Republican nomination against attorney Jay Cobb and State Reps. Stephen Sandstrom of Orem and Carl Wimmer of Herriman; she won the nomination on April 21, 2012 at the 2012 Utah Republican Party Convention with over 70 percent of the vote and faced six-term Democratic incumbent Jim Matheson in the general election.
Nationally, Love received campaign support from 2012 Republican Presidential nominee Mitt Romney and his wife Ann Romney, House Majority Leader Eric Cantor, House Budget Committee Chairman and 2012 Republican Vice Presidential nominee Paul Ryan and Speaker of the House John Boehner.[23][24]
In August 2012, National Journal named Love one of "Ten Republicans to follow on Twitter".[25] She was a speaker at the 2012 Republican National Convention on August 28, 2012. She spoke of the lessons she learned from her parents.[26] In her speech she also stated, "Mr. President, I am here to tell you we are not buying what you are selling in 2012."[27]
In September 2012, Forbes investigated a claim in a September 2012 article by Mother Jones that no law then existed which would have allowed Love's parents to become citizens of the United States. After Forbes investigated the Mother Jones claim and identified the law in question, Mother Jones was forced to issue a correction.[5][7][28] In an October interview, her father stated that Mia's birth as a US citizen was key to gaining permanent legal status and citizenship.[11]
Love lost the election to Jim Matheson by 768 votes out of 245,277 votes cast,[29] a difference of 0.31%. She was regarded to have run a weak campaign, switching campaign managers three times, trying to "nationalize" the race rather than focus on local issues and missing interviews and appointments because of rifts in her campaign staff.[30]
U.S. House of Representatives
2014 election
In March 2013, Love stated that she was seriously considering another run against Matheson.[31]
In May 2013 she announced she would run in 2014. As of July 2013, Love had raised over $475,000 for her campaign.[32]
Love was an opening speaker at the 2013 Western Conservative Summit. She spoke on the need for increased grassroots organization in the GOP, and the need to be independent from the government.[33]
In August 2013, Love was chosen by Newsmax as an "Up and Comer" in their list of top "25 Influential Women of the GOP"[34]
In November 2013, Love acknowledged the growing consensus that the Tea Party needed to shift away from being the "party of no"[35] while still supporting the philosophy of the Tea Party and many of its leaders, including fellow Utah Sen. Mike Lee.[36]
On December 17, 2013, Matheson announced that he would not run for re-election, leading Love to be the favored candidate to win in the upcoming election. In early October 2014, the National Journal listed Utah's 4th district as the number one most likely district to change hands in November.[37]
In early 2014 Love was made a member of the Republican National Committee's National Advisory Council on African-American outreach.[38]
On April 26, 2014 Love won the Republican nomination for the 4th congressional district at the Utah Republican Convention, with 78% of the vote at the convention.[27][39] On election night, Owens led Love until late on, when she pulled ahead and ultimately won by just over 4,000 votes.[40][27] Love, who outspent Owens by more than five-to-one, was considered to have underperformed in the district. Owens has said that he may run against Love in 2016.[41]
Political positions
A Tea Party conservative,[30] Love says she favors "fiscal discipline, limited government, and personal responsibility."[17] She has also said that she asks herself three questions whenever she approaches an issue: "Is it affordable? Is it sustainable? Is it my job?"[42] At her college orientation, Love's father told her: "Mia, your mother and I never took a handout. You will not be a burden to society. You will give back." She underscored this philosophy on the campaign trail to sum up her conservative views.[43]
Abortion
Spending and taxes
Love proposes deep cuts to federal spending, particularly in the area of entitlement spending (Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid).[30] She also supports cutting taxes.[30]
Other issues
She supports domestic energy exploration, local control of education, Second Amendment rights, and state control of public lands.[45]
Congressional Black Caucus
She has said that if elected to Congress, she would “join the Congressional Black Caucus and try to take that thing apart from the inside out.” She has described the mainly Democratic Caucus as characterized by “...demagoguery. They sit there and ignite emotions and ignite racism when there isn’t. They use their positions to instill fear. Hope and change is turned into fear and blame. Fear that everybody is going to lose everything and blaming Congress for everything instead of taking responsibility."[46]
Personal life
Raised a Roman Catholic, Love joined The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints after graduating college in 1998.[47] While a flight attendant she moved to Utah as part of her work, but also to be closer to the temple and to learn more about her faith.[11] There she got to know Jason Love, whom she had met briefly when he was an LDS missionary in Connecticut. The two were married in December 1998. Love turned down an offer to appear in the Broadway show "Smokey Joe's Café" that started two days before her marriage.[11][48] They have three children.
Electoral history
| Utah's 4th congressional district election, 2014[40] | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
| Republican | Mia B. Love | 64,390 | 50.04% | |
| Democratic | Doug Owens | 60,165 | 46.75% | |
| Libertarian | Jim L. Vein | 1,154 | 0.90% | |
| Totals | 125,709 | 97.7% | ||
| Utah's 4th congressional district election, 2012[49] | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
| Democratic | Jim Matheson (incumbent) | 119,803 | 48.84% | |
| Republican | Mia B. Love | 119,035 | 48.53% | |
| Libertarian | Jim L. Vein | 6,439 | 2.63% | |
| Totals | 245,277 | 100.0% | ||
| Democratic hold | ||||
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