Former US legislator from Utah Mia Love, daughter of Haitian immigrants and the first black Republican woman elected to the United States Congress, has passed away at the age of 49 on Sunday.
Love's family announced her death on Love's X account "at her home and surrounded by her family".
Love was undergoing treatment for a brain cancer, and her daughter stated earlier this month that she was no longer responding to treatment. She was receiving immunotherapy as part of a clinical trial at the University of Duke's brain tumor center.
Love entered politics in 2003 after winning a seat on the city council of Saratoga Springs, a growing community about 30 miles south of Salt Lake City. She later became the mayor of the city.
In 2012, Love narrowly lost the candidacy for the House of Representatives against former Democratic legislator Jim Matheson, in a district that includes several suburbs of Salt Lake City.
She ran again two years later and defeated first-time candidate Doug Owens by about 7,500 votes.
Love did not emphasize her race during her campaigns, but acknowledged the significance of her election after her 2014 victory. She stated that her triumph challenged those who suggested that a black, Republican, and Mormon woman could not secure a seat in Congress in Utah, a predominantly white state.