SALT LAKE CITY (AP) — Defeated Republican Congresswoman Mia Love delivered a sharp rebuke Monday to President Donald Trump and her party’s relationship with black Americans.
Love, the first and only black Republican woman in Congress, spoke for the first time since she was narrowly defeated by Democrat Ben McAdams for the suburban Salt Lake City seat.
She responded to Trump’s jab the day after the election that she lost the race because she “gave me no love, and she lost.” The claim came during a post-Election Day news conference where he also called out other members of his party who he said failed to fully embrace him.
“This gave me a clear vision of his world as it is. No real relationships, just convenient transactions,” she said Monday.
The White House did not immediately respond to an email seeking comment.
Trump’s comments reflect Republicans’ larger failure to fully embrace minority communities, driving them to the Democratic Party, Love said.
“Because Republicans never take minority communities into their home and citizens into their homes, and into their hearts, they stay with Democrats and bureaucrats in Washington because they do take them home, or at least make them feel like they have a home,” she said.
While she was ousted, Democrats gained new black members of Congress and women this election, she pointed out.
“This is a matter of fact, that Republicans lost in this regard,” she said.
Love said she believes conservative policies are the best way to lift people out of poverty, but those messages have a harder time reaching minority voters.
“The problem is not the policy; it’s that we are never taken into hearts and homes,” she said.
Love says her defeat means she’s now “unleashed” to speak her mind. She declined to say if she will run again, or detail plans for the future.
She also took a shot at her opponent on Monday, calling McAdams a “wolf in sheep’s clothing” and decrying the “horrible” criticism of her record in the hard-fought race.
The McAdams campaign said he appreciated a congratulatory call she placed to him over the weekend and “it’s time to put the election behind us.”
Vote-counting was drawn out in the razor-thin race, and in the end McAdams defeated Love by fewer than 700 votes. He was well-known in the district as the mayor of Salt Lake County and pitched himself as a moderate who could work with Trump, and is vowing to oppose Nancy Pelosi as House speaker.
Love, touted as a rising GOP star when she was elected in 2014, distanced herself from Trump during the race on issues including trade and immigration.
Though Utah is deeply conservative, voters have long been uncomfortable with Trump’s brash style and comments about women and minorities. Her district also includes a large part of the suburbs of blue-leaning Salt Lake City.
Written by LINDSAY WHITEHURST, Associated Press.
Email: [email protected]
Twitter: @STGnews
Copyright 2018 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
Well that didn’t take long. Pow! The race card.
She’s a racist.
I love that highlighting the indisputable fact that the RNC is not successful at recruiting minorities is written off as “racist” and playing the “race card.”. Polling and registrations bare out the claims that minorities vote overwhelmingly democratic. I would think listening to minority women like Love, who had a historic place in Congress, would be to the benefit of the party. But that is only if they care about that demographic in American politics.
They do vote democrat and how is that working out for them. How is open borders helping the minimum wage worker? How did minorities and race relations progress under Obama? How are inner city schools and Democratic run major cities doing after years of Democratic rule? Detroit, St Louis, Chicago, San Francisco, Seattle, Los Angeles. A top ten list of homelessness, failed schools, crumbling infrastructure, and overwhelmed medical services. Oh yeah, voting Democrat is really the answer to fixing this mess. Obamacare, pass the bill and read it later to find out what’s in it. Real genius in leadership.
So nothing to contribute? Just deflection via simplistic campaign rhetoric?
Simplistic? Explain the successes the dems can brag about in Detroit etc. Explain minority advances under Obama. Talk about inner city schools under democratic rule. Don’t be so smug and self-righteous and accuse me of nothing to contribute. You’re a master at dodge ball and deflection. Classic case of accusing me of what you are so good at. Rhetoric.
Ugh, quite the contrary. I called your initial claim out with facts. You actually agreed with them. The subject at hand is the Republican party’s failure to recruit minorities, as highlighted by Love’s statement. Bringing up tropes about democratic policy is a deflection from that issue.
It either means you don’t think it’s a problem or don’t want to address it.
Allegations of smug are funny considering you lobbed allegations of “racist” against someone just detailing demographic realities.
“Real genius in leadership.”
As opposed to “stable genius” in leadership, right?
TRUMP 2020
I hear Aerosmith playing in the background. Dream on.
Qadmit it she misused tax payers money for primary election which were not necessary, then the trip to DC for the party.. she is a sore loser, try another profession.. trumo thought he helped her, but then shot her down when she lost
There will be big changes in 2020
Move over Pelosi, Love is changing sides.
Resorting to racist identity politics to excuse a legitimate loss. I would tell Ms. Love that she should be ashamed of herself but she’s a career politician and sadly, they have no shame.
That’s a bold accusation. Care to show me where she blamed her loss with “racist identity politics”? To be honest it doesn’t appear you understand racism given how you used it.
And she’s a career politician? She’s only served for 14 years in three very different positions: council (2004-10), mayor (10-14) and Congress (15-18). That barely fits the bill of a career politician given they normally serve into retirement.
Its almost like words mean nothing anymore.
Simple question. Did Obama advance the cause of minorities in a positive way over his 8 yrs in office or did he worsen relations with identity politics. Ms Mia is a perfect example. First thing out of her mouth is racism. The fact that she was elected in the first place is moot. The fact that job performance failed to get her re-elected is racist. It’s nonsense.
Obama’s record isn’t the subject. Once again, partisan deflection.
She never claimed racism, in her political concession or general criticisms. That is only posters here. To reflect on the failure of the RNC to address and recruit minorities isn’t inherently racist or even about racism. Your theory means any talk about race = racism. Talk about reductive and meaningless.
And conservatives have overplayed talk of “identity politics” to the point its useless. Has been for years. And the reality is it will only harm them in the long run as our demographics change nationally. Republican strongholds are also seeing a rise in minority populations while Caucasian populations stagnate. The majority minority issue is going to bite the RNC in the butt if they do nkt listen to reps like Mia Love.
Its even more ironic given Trump supporters claimed they were tired of being called racist just two years ago. Such hypocrisy.
Once again, deflection. Don’t answer the question, just bloviate.
#FAIL
Its like you don’t understand the meaning of words and context. Keep making this about democrats when the subject is inherently about Mia Love and insight on republican strategy.
b&f never answers always tries to get you to chase her down an unrelated rabbit trail..deflect, misdirect and misquote.. every time
Happy Commentor is back, yay!
Too funny of a comment. Sticking to the topic of the article is somehow “an unrelated rabbit hole”.
I’m not sure you understand the meaning of the words you use.
Just my point exactly, you never can stick to the point. you always pontificate with some useless and irrelevant liberal talking points that have absolutely to do with the original story! Funny but ever so sad!
absolutely “nothing”
Happy Commentor,
If that is the case than I you should be able to provide me an example from this thread. Should be an easy task. So please do cite my pontifications that don’t deal with Mia Love’s observations of the RNC, ie the context of this article. And PS, calling out the deflections of others away from that very topic don’t count.
I won’t hold my breathe as most of know you are an illogical troll with no real content to contribute. But I’m willing to be shown the errors of my ways.
The irony is, Trump presides over the best of times for Blacks, full employment and lower taxes.
What better gift can you give a family than a job and more take home pay.
Mia was a failure. Being black and female should have opened doors but instead she was invisible.
She failed to advocate for MAGA or conservatism. Did she ever speak on how Republican policy helped blacks, females or immigrants? Her position of neutrality cost her a chance for re-election.
You think Mia Love had a policy of “neutrality”?
You do realize its the President’s job to justify his agenda (MAGA) not Congress’s. You know, the concept of checks and balances, right? Its Congress’s job to debate and vote on legislation they consider wise for the country. That doesn’t mean toeing the line with the President.
And its ridiculous to claim Mia Love didn’t forward conservative ideals. Good gracious, she has a 77% lifetime ranking from FreedomWorks.
And the tax benefits have been debunked. And Trump inherited a healthy economy and unemployment rate. Yes, the current numbers are strong but the trend was actually better under Obama. The entire system was primed.
https://www.npr.org/2018/01/08/576552028/fact-check-trump-touts-low-unemployment-rates-for-african-americans-hispanics
Facts are pesky that way.
Will be interesting though, less than a year into his tax plan and we are forewarned that many of the alleged beneficiaries of it will owe money come April. And even then our benefits will expire after 2019 and we’ll be much worse off than before the new plan. Not to mention the massive layoffs and cutbacks we are watching rush un due to Trump’s tariff wars. But you know, MAGA.
“She failed to advocate for MAGA”
Maralago and golf again? Making attorneys get attorneys?
MAGA is a failure. America was great before Trump. WAS great.
Ms. Love fell out of touch with the conservative element in Utah; many felt she did not represent them as she should have. Because of her reactions to her loss, she will most likely not be elected by us again in a major race. If she runs again, her race-card comments will return to haunt her.
Blah blah blah blah blah …..lol. You lost the election fair and square now shut up and disappear and go find a job
Everyone knows that the mid-terms was about Trump. She represented a part of Utah that is very liberal and being a republican means to the masses that you support Trump. Whether you agree with Democrats or not the people of America voted against Trump in a big way. Around 9 million more votes for Democrats than Republicans overall. Most people say the blue wave didn’t happen because they lost seats in the senate, but the numbers show the biggest gap between democratic votes and republican votes in history for a mid-term. Look at the Texas senate race for proof, although Ted Cruz won, the fact that it was even as close as it was says allot about the brand that Republicans are selling.
Maxine Waters, Nancy Pelosi amd Elijah Cummings have stepped well beyond their legislative responsibilities to promote liberal politics. Mia never got the hang of it, preferring to play it close to the vest. You might say that her newness on the job restrained her but that didn’t bother a Kamala Harris who grabbed the spotlight to talk about impeaching Trump every chance she got.
So, Ed bikefish don’t talk about separation of powers. The Dems have spent very little time legislating the last two years and much time making a mess of the entire system.
Your comment doesn’t deal once with the separation of powers yet you think you successfully countered my ideas?