WASHINGTON — House Financial Services Committee member Mia Love, R-Utah, lost her re-election bid Tuesday night to challenger Ben McAdams.
Love was a supporter of the Financial Choice Act, a sweeping rollback bill of the Dodd-Frank Wall Street reforms that was pass almost entirely along party lines under outgoing House Financial Services Committee Chairman Jeb Hensarling, R-Texas, but was too extreme to move forward in the Senate.
Before Love's defeat had been officially declared, President Trump criticized her, claiming she didn’t fully embrace his presidency. She previously indicated that derogatory comments Trump made about Haiti and African countries were racist.
"Mia Love gave me no love," Trump said earlier this month, before her race was called. "And she lost. Too bad. Sorry about that, Mia."
The Utah Bankers Association supported Love’s efforts to scale back Dodd-Frank. The regulatory relief bill known as S 2155 was signed into law in May.
“Her tireless efforts to represent one of the country’s largest and most diverse and innovative banking states was underappreciated, but will be greatly missed by those who work in what is Utah’s largest economic sector,” said Howard Headlee, president and chief executive of the Utah Bankers Association. “We are hopeful that Rep. McAdams will continue this outstanding legacy of service on the Financial Services Committee.”
Love was the only female black Republican member of Congress and the only GOP member of the Congressional Black Caucus.
Love's loss marks the 39th pickup for Democrats in the 2018 midterm election, with a few races still outstanding.
