Van Taylor

Van Taylor
Official portrait, 2019
Van Taylor
Born	Nicholas Van Campen Taylor 1 8, 1972
Birthplace	Dallas, Texas, U.S.
Nationality	American
Occupation	Businessman, politician
Known for	U.S. Representative for Texas's 3rd congressional district (2019–2023)
Education	Harvard University (BA, MBA)
Children	3

Nicholas Van Campen Taylor (born August 1, 1972), known as Van Taylor, is an American businessman and politician from Plano, Texas, who served as the U.S. representative for Texas's 3rd congressional district from 2019 to 2023. A member of the Republican Party, Taylor built a political career that spanned more than a decade of service in the Texas House of Representatives, the Texas Senate, and the U.S. Congress. Before entering politics, Taylor served as an officer in the United States Marine Corps, deploying to Iraq during the early stages of the Iraq War. He represented the 66th district in the Texas House from 2010 to 2015, followed by the 8th district in the Texas Senate from 2015 to 2019, before winning election to Congress to succeed retiring longtime representative Sam Johnson. His congressional tenure ended after he admitted to an extramarital affair in March 2022 and withdrew from his reelection campaign, announcing his retirement at the conclusion of the 117th Congress.

Early Life

Van Taylor was born Nicholas Van Campen Taylor on August 1, 1972, in Dallas, Texas. He grew up in the Dallas area and later settled in Plano, a suburban city in Collin County, north of Dallas.

Taylor pursued a career in the United States Marine Corps before entering the business and political worlds. He served as an officer in the Marines, achieving the rank of Major. His military service included deployment during the Iraq War, where he served in combat operations during the early phases of the conflict. Taylor's military background would later become a central element of his political identity, featuring prominently in his campaigns for public office.

Education

Taylor attended Harvard University, where he earned a Bachelor of Arts degree. He subsequently returned to Harvard to obtain a Master of Business Administration (MBA) from Harvard Business School. His dual Harvard degrees in liberal arts and business provided a foundation for his subsequent careers in business and public service.

Career

Texas House of Representatives (2010–2015)

Taylor entered electoral politics in 2010, winning a special election to represent the 66th district of the Texas House of Representatives, which encompassed portions of southwestern Collin County. He succeeded Brian McCall in the seat and took office on April 20, 2010.

During his tenure in the Texas House, Taylor participated in the legislative session that began in January 2013, a period marked by internal debates over House rules and the distribution of committee powers. Taylor served in the House until January 2015, when he moved to the Texas Senate.

In August 2013, Taylor announced his candidacy for the Texas Senate seat being vacated by Ken Paxton, who was running for Attorney General of Texas. Taylor received early endorsements from conservative organizations, including the North Texas Tea Party, which granted him its first "Tea Approval" designation for the 2014 election cycle.

Texas Senate (2015–2019)

Taylor won election to the Texas Senate in 2014, representing the 8th district. He took office on January 13, 2015, succeeding Ken Paxton in the seat. The 8th Senate district encompassed a significant portion of Collin County and the northern suburbs of Dallas.

During his time in the Texas Senate, Taylor established himself as a conservative legislator aligned with mainstream Republican positions in the state. He served through the 84th and 85th Texas Legislature sessions. When he departed the Senate to run for Congress, he was succeeded by Angela Paxton, the wife of his predecessor Ken Paxton.

Campaign for Congress (2017–2018)

In August 2017, Taylor formally announced his candidacy for Texas's 3rd congressional district, following the retirement announcement of longtime incumbent Sam Johnson, who had represented the district since 1991. The 3rd district, which included much of Collin County, was a reliably Republican seat in the northern suburbs of Dallas.

Taylor faced a competitive Republican primary field in the March 2018 election. He emerged as the Republican nominee and went on to win the general election in November 2018 to represent the district in the 116th United States Congress. Taylor's campaign drew on his military service, business experience, and record in the Texas Legislature.

U.S. House of Representatives (2019–2023)

Taylor took office as the U.S. representative for Texas's 3rd congressional district on January 3, 2019, succeeding Sam Johnson. He served during the 116th and 117th Congresses.

Legislative Activity

Taylor's congressional record reflected broadly conservative positions consistent with his party affiliation and the political preferences of his suburban North Texas constituency. His legislative work and voting record can be tracked through the Congress.gov database, which catalogues his sponsored legislation and committee assignments.

January 6 Commission Vote and Primary Challenges

One of the most consequential votes of Taylor's congressional career came in 2021, when he supported the creation of a bipartisan independent commission to investigate the January 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol. This vote placed Taylor at odds with a significant segment of the Republican base in his district and drew criticism from supporters of former President Donald Trump. Taylor was one of the few incumbent Republicans not endorsed by Trump ahead of the 2022 primary elections.

By January 2022, Taylor's vote on the January 6 commission had attracted a group of Republican primary challengers. The issue became a central point of contention in the campaign, with opponents framing his support for the commission as disloyalty to the party and to the former president. The primary contest highlighted the intra-party divisions within the Republican Party over the events of January 6 and the proper institutional response to them.

2022 Primary and Withdrawal

In the March 1, 2022, Republican primary election for Texas's 3rd congressional district, Taylor failed to secure the outright majority needed to avoid a runoff. Despite leading the field, he was forced into a runoff election, a significant sign of electoral vulnerability for a sitting incumbent.

On March 2, 2022—just one day after the primary—Taylor publicly admitted to having had an extramarital affair. In a statement, he apologized to his family and constituents and announced that he would suspend his reelection campaign, effectively withdrawing from the upcoming runoff election. Taylor stated that he would serve out the remainder of his term but would retire from Congress at the end of the 117th Congress in January 2023.

Reports identified the affair as having been with Tania Joya, described as the former wife of an American who had joined ISIS before being killed. The revelations emerged during the final days of the primary campaign and contributed to the erosion of Taylor's political standing. The timing and nature of the disclosure drew significant national media attention.

Taylor's withdrawal from the runoff paved the way for Keith Self, one of the Republican primary challengers, to secure the nomination and ultimately win the general election. Self succeeded Taylor as the representative for Texas's 3rd congressional district when the 118th Congress convened on January 3, 2023.

Military Service

Before his political career, Taylor served as an officer in the United States Marine Corps, rising to the rank of Major. His service included deployment during the Iraq War, where he participated in combat operations. Taylor's military experience was a recurring theme throughout his political career, and he frequently cited his service in campaign materials and public appearances. His veteran status helped establish his credentials with conservative voters in the defense-conscious suburban communities of North Texas.

Business Career

In addition to his military and political careers, Taylor has been involved in business activities. His educational background, which includes an MBA from Harvard Business School, provided a foundation for his business endeavors. Taylor's financial disclosure filings during his time in Congress, available through the Federal Election Commission and other public records, documented his financial interests during his period of public service.

Personal Life

Taylor resides in Plano, Texas, in Collin County. He married Anne Coolidge; their wedding was documented in press announcements. The couple has three children.

In March 2022, Taylor publicly acknowledged an extramarital affair, issuing an apology to his family and constituents. The admission coincided with his withdrawal from the Republican primary runoff for his congressional seat. In his public statement, Taylor expressed remorse and indicated his intention to focus on his family. The affair, which was reported to have been with Tania Joya, the ex-wife of an American who had traveled to Syria to join ISIS, generated extensive media coverage and brought an abrupt end to Taylor's political career.

Legacy

Van Taylor's political career followed a trajectory common among Republican politicians in the rapidly growing suburban counties north of Dallas—rising from the Texas House to the Texas Senate and then to Congress. His career was shaped by the interplay of military service, conservative ideology, and the evolving dynamics of Republican primary politics in the era of Donald Trump.

Taylor's vote in favor of a bipartisan commission to investigate the January 6 Capitol attack illustrated the tensions faced by Republican members of Congress who sought to balance institutional responsibilities with the demands of an increasingly polarized party base. His subsequent difficulties in the 2022 Republican primary underscored how such votes could carry significant political costs within the party.

His departure from Congress following the revelation of the extramarital affair marked an unusual conclusion to a career that had, until that point, followed a conventional upward path in Texas Republican politics. The seat Taylor vacated continued to be held by the Republican Party, with Keith Self winning the 2022 general election and maintaining the district's longstanding Republican representation.

Taylor's service in the Texas Legislature and in Congress spanned a period of significant growth and change in Collin County, which experienced rapid population increases and became one of the most politically consequential suburban areas in Texas during the 2010s and early 2020s.