In the political world, there has been much talk about 37-year-old Mia Love, the recently nominated Republican woman for the fourth congressional district in Utah. What makes Love such a prime topic in the political world?
Love is both African-American and Mormon; if she beats her competitor, the incumbent and Democratic Rep. Jim Matheson in November, she will be the first Republican, African-American, female in Congress.
Love is the daughter of Haitians who immigrated to Brooklyn. “I am a product of that hard work,” she said in an interview with Yahoo News, “[I’m] a product of the American dream.”
Her career started with a seat on the city council in her small town of Saratoga Springs, Utah. She became mayor six years later and, along with donations from republican House leaders, she decided to run for a spot in the House.
Love, and her potential as the first Republican African-American voted into national office, will show others that the GOP more diverse as people think it is.
In reality, the Republican party is evolving from the typical middle class, white membership to a more diverse party, and Love is only a small sample of racial diversity in the GOP.
For example, look at Herman Cain, a business man, media personality and former candidate for President of the United States in 2012, or Condoleezza Rice, the 66th Secretary of State. They are both accomplished, Republican african-americans.
That’s not where they end though. There’s Florida’s lieutenant governor, Jennifer Carroll, who was the first African-American elected statewide and Peter Boulware, former NFL linebacker and Republican candidate for the Florida House of Representatives.
These men and women are defying political stereotypes, resulting in the changing of political parties and society’s expectations for them; Love is only one part of this movement
“I am ready to go in and change it[the government] from the inside out,” Love said to Yahoo News.
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