SALT LAKE CITY, Utah - In her bid to become the first black Republican woman elected to Congress, Mia Love is the GOP's emblem of diversity this campaign year. She's reluctant to embrace the role, saying she doesn't let race or gender define her politics.

The 36-year-old mayor of Saratoga Springs, Utah, points to her policy stances as the reason for her success.

Polling shows Love with a slight lead over Democratic Rep. Jim Matheson, a six-term incumbent. The race remains too close to call. A series of white, male GOP challengers have failed to unseat Matheson in a decade of trying. Love is the only woman among 11 black Republican House candidates this year.