First Black Female Republican Joins US Congress

Salt Lake City: Mia Love of Utah became the first black female Republican in the US Congress when she was sworn in on Tuesday along with 57 other freshmen members of the US House.

Love, the 39-year-old former Mayor of Saratoga Springs, was elected in November, when Republicans captured the Senate and widened the majority in the House.

She already has started making appearances on cable news channels and Sunday talk shows, most recently as a guest on ABC's "This Week."

Love didn't emphasize her race during her campaign in 2014 and an unsuccessful bid in 2012, but she acknowledged the significance of her election after her victory in November.

She said her win defied naysayers who suggested a black, Republican, Mormon woman could not be elected to Congress from Utah.

Love will be part of a small group of black Republicans in the new Congress and said she plans to join the Congressional Black Caucus.

She will be sworn into office in Washington with other new House members, followed by an individual ceremonial swearing-in with House Speaker John Boehner.