In what surely is a check against Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump (though she will not admit it), Utah Rep. Mia Love said she will not be attending the party’s convention next month, and will instead visit Israel with a congressional delegation.
Love, the very first African-American Republican woman ever elected to Congress, and who was given a prime-time speaking slot at the 2012 Republican Convention, joins the ranks of Republican leaders and lawmakers who will be skipping the convention in Cleveland come July. Not only is Love not attending the convention, she is also giving up her seat as a delegate.
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“I don’t see any upsides to it,” Love said Friday to the Salt Lake City Tribune. “I don't see how this benefits the state.”
Love, who is facing a tight race in November against Doug Owens (who she beat by just 4,000 votes in 2014) is a very important asset to the GOP. She is a living, breathing testament to the party’s so-called diversity, especially with people of color and women.
Ironically, the Haitian-American pol has been the subject of recent rumors that she may be tapped as Trump’s running mate. But Love brushed that talk off almost immediately.
“I haven’t had any contact with the Trump campaign and am not interested in being VP,” Love said to the Tribune. “I want my neighbors in Utah’s 4th District to know that Utah is my priority, not the ever-changing tide of presidential politics. It’s gratifying for Utah to be included on this list, but I’m laser-focused on making a difference on important issues in Congress for the people I serve.”
In other GOP defection news, conservative journalist and pundit George Will announced on Friday that he is no longer a Republican because of Donald Trump’s ascension in the party.
Read more at the Salt Lake City Tribune.
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