Politics
Election 2012: Mayor Mia Love to have prime time slot at Republican National Convention
Saratoga Springs Mayor Mia Love speaks at the Republican state convention, Saturday, April 21, 2012 in Sandy, Utah. PHOTO/Leah Hogsten/The Salt Lake Tribune/AP Photo
Utah congressional candidate Mia Love has been given a coveted speaking slot at the Republican National Convention, organizers announced Tuesday.
Love, a darling of tea-party and conservative Republicans, is characterized by her groundbreaking role in state politics. Utah’s first black female mayor, she stands to become the first black Republican woman to take office in Congress if she topples Jim Matheson, a Democrat, in the November election.
Political analysts say it could be the toughest race for Matheson, a popular incumbent in his own right who has handily beat other Republican challengers for a dozen years.
The daughter of Haitian immigrants, Love will get her moment in the national spotlight among the first of Republican speakers next Tuesday evening, convention CEO William Harris announced.
Love, 36, said she was invited to speak by the campaign of GOP presumptive nominee Mitt Romney, a fellow Mormon.
“The speech is going to come from the heart,” she said.
Love took office as a small-town mayor, she calls Saratoga Springs, population 18,000, a “booming” town, two years ago and quickly rose to prominence. She’s been dubbed a rising GOP star with an unusual background and charisma.
