FILE: Surrounded by her family Rep. Mia Love talks about election results in the 4th Congressional District at the Utah Republican Party offices in Salt Lake City on Nov. 26, 2018. (Deseret News)
Mia Love is promising she’ll decide soon whether to run again for her former congressional seat.
Filling in on “The JayMac News Show,” guest host Kirk Jowers interviewed former Utah Rep. Mia Love about a possible renewed run for Congress, regrets and satisfaction about her time in Washington, D.C., as a lawmaker, the field of 24 Democratic presidential candidates, and more.
Love, the first black Republican woman elected to Congress, lost her re-election to Utah’s 4th District to former Salt Lake County Mayor Ben McAdams, a Democrat. Two weeks after the election, the race was too close to call, but McAdams was called the winner on November 20, 2018. He won by 694 votes out of more than 250,000 votes cast. The margin was 0.258%, just over the 0.25% threshold that would have allowed Love to request a recount.
Jowers asked Love what it would take to “tip you over the edge” to jump into the 2020 race for the 4th District.
She said that the 4th District “has been really close to my heart.”
“There are so many families that I met and got to know that still have issues that need to have solved. I feel that it’s incredibly important to make sure that we actually have a Republican in this seat and somebody that the 4th District can count on to elevate Utah’s voice,” she said.
Jowers asked Love what her family members are saying about a possible 2020 run for office.
“Honestly, I wouldn’t be doing this or even considering it if my family wasn’t all in with me. I got an incredible husband who has just been a great leader. This isn’t just my journey, but the whole family’s journey… Each one of my kids has taken on an issue that has been important to them.”
Jowers asked Love if she had any regrets about what she didn’t accomplish while in Congress.
“Not being able to continue on with an actually good immigration reform bill,” she said.
“We came so close …These families just want some pathway, some way to work for it, like my parents did, and earn the right to become a U.S. citizen. I think there are so many people that are here right now that are being completely bypassed with what is happening politically in Washington. It’s not really about getting something done but about who retains power… and that’s unfortunate,” she said.
“So if I were to get back that would certainly be something I’d get back on and tackle and, of course, all of the work I’ve done on the pro-life issues have been really close to my heart and important to me,” she said.
Jowers asked Love if she had any congressional colleagues left in office who had a passion to get something done.
She said some Republican lawmakers who could work across the aisle on issues like the environment and immigration were targeted by Democrats and are no longer in office.
“You got to think to yourself: What is more important, the issue or the power? Because you can’t have both. There are times when you need people on both sides of the aisle to get the actual issue accomplished. You really need people to come together and help you. And if you’re targeting people that are actually with you on some of these issues, you’re not going to get any of them done.”
What are the special moments or accomplishments in Congress that you remember, Jowers asked?
“Having my children around when I did the March for Life speech was incredibly special. It was something that they got to see. Having that moment with my family and the country in terms of protecting life at all stages of development was a really proud moment,” she said.
She also mentioned her proposal that passed the House: STOP (Stop Taxpayer Obligations to Perpetrators of Sexual Harassment) Act, which would require members of Congress accused of misconduct or discrimination to pay award settlements out of their own pockets.
“I didn’t waste any time. I’m really proud of the work I did,” she said.
Jowers asked Love which of the 24 Democratic candidates running for president did she find most interesting.
“I call it a race to the left. They are even moving Joe Biden to the left. He’s finding it very difficult because he wants to take credit for what happened in the previous administration, but he’s apologizing for what he actually did as a senator.
“I think they’re doing the current president some favors there,” she said.
She said she hasn’t seen any candidates saying free markets work or that some people like their private health insurance.
“I don’t see anyone moving to the center. In order to win the presidential election, you have to gain independents.”