Mayor of Saratoga Springs, Utah, Mia Love addresses the Republican National Convention Aug. 28 in Tampa, Fla.
By ANDREW MIGA and PAUL FOY, Associated Press
SALT LAKE CITY (AP) — In her bid to become the first black Republican woman elected to Congress, Mia Love is the party's emblem of diversity this campaign year. She's reluctant to embrace the role, saying she doesn't let race or gender define her politics.
[READ: Mia Love Clips at Incumbent Jim Matheson's Heels in Utah's 4th Congressional District]
The 36-year-old mayor of Saratoga Springs, Utah, points to her policy stances as the reason for her success.
"I was elected mayor not because of my race or gender, not because I wear high heels, but because of the policies I put in place," Love said in a recent interview.
Polling shows Love with a slight lead over Democratic Rep. Jim Matheson, a six-term incumbent. The race is still too close to call.
In a party that has struggled for decades to attract black voters, the daughter of Haitian immigrants included subtle nods to civil rights leaders Martin Luther King Jr. and Rosa Parks in her speech to the Republican National Convention in August.
Reader Comments (