Van Taylor

Van Taylor
Born	(1972-08-01) August 1, 1972 Dallas, Texas, U.S.
Occupation(s)	Entrepreneur, politician
Years active	2002–present
Known for	U.S. Representative for Texas's 3rd congressional district (2019–2023)

Nicholas Van Campen Taylor (born August 1, 1972), commonly known as Van Taylor, is an American entrepreneur and political figure based in Plano, Texas. Affiliated with the Republican Party, he represented Texas's 3rd congressional district in the United States House of Representatives from 2019 until 2023, having secured election in 2018.

This district encompassed a large portion of Collin County, a suburban region located north of Dallas. A military veteran of the Iraq War, Taylor served the 8th district in the Texas Senate from 2015 to 2019. Prior to that, he was a member of the Texas House of Representatives for the 66th district, covering southwestern Collin County. On March 2, 2022, he acknowledged involvement in an extramarital relationship and subsequently halted his campaign for reelection, declaring his intention to retire at the conclusion of the 117th Congress.

Early life and education

Born in Dallas, Taylor is a seventh-generation Texan and a descendant of Robert Lee Blaffer, co-founder of Humble Oil. His upbringing took place in Midland, where he attended Hillander School and San Jacinto Junior High before graduating from St. Paul's School in Concord, New Hampshire. Taylor completed his undergraduate studies at Harvard College with a Bachelor of Arts in history in just three years and later earned an MBA from Harvard Business School in 2001.

Business career

Between January 2002 and December 2018, Taylor was employed by Churchill Capital Company as a real estate investment banker; this firm specializes in real estate investment banking and principal investments. His professional background also includes roles at McKinsey & Company and Trammell Crow Company.

Military service

Taylor served in Iraq with the Marine Corps' 4th Reconnaissance Battalion and 2nd Force Reconnaissance Company. Holding the rank of captain during Operation Iraqi Freedom, he led operations that uncovered and neutralized multiple Fedayeen ambushes and assisted in evacuating 31 injured Marines. His decorations comprise the Navy Commendation Medal with "V" device, Combat Action Ribbon, and Presidential Unit Citation. He concluded his military service as a major in the Marine Corps Reserve.

2006 campaign for U.S. House

During 2005–2006, Taylor campaigned for the congressional seat representing Texas's 17th district. He secured the Republican nomination with 54.03% of the vote but was defeated in the general election by Democratic incumbent Chet Edwards, receiving 40.31%.

2010 campaign

On December 2, 2009, Taylor declared his intention to run for the Texas House District 66 seat after incumbent Brian McCall announced he would not pursue reelection and endorsed Plano city council member Mabrie Jackson. In the March Republican primary, Jackson led with 41%, though she did not achieve an outright majority. Following Wayne Richards’ endorsement of Taylor, he triumphed over Jackson in the April runoff election. With McCall vacating his seat early, Taylor was sworn into office on April 20, 2010.

2014 campaign

On August 2, 2013, Taylor declared his intention to seek the Republican nomination for the Texas Senate representing District 8, a seat left open by Ken Paxton who was running for state attorney general.

Political positions

Taylor is recognized as a prominent supporter of the Tea Party movement and earned the endorsement of the North Texas Tea Party during his 2014 bid for the Senate.

In 2017, he introduced a bill aimed at establishing a registry to prevent individuals with inappropriate student relationships from working in educational institutions, expanding the scope beyond just faculty and administrative staff.

Juneteenth

Taylor was one of only two House Republicans to co-sponsor legislation recognizing Juneteenth as National Independence Day.

Foreign policy

He was among 129 Republican members who opposed President Donald Trump's decision to withdraw U.S. military forces from Syria.

2018

In August 2017, Taylor announced his run for the United States House of Representatives in Texas's 3rd congressional district after incumbent Republican Sam Johnson announced his retirement. Backed by the Club for Growth and With Honor, an organization supporting veterans, Taylor won the March primary by a significant margin and secured the general election in November with 54.3% of the vote.

His election preserved Republican control over a district held by the GOP since 1968, making him only the fourth person to represent it since then. However, this race was the closest in more than five decades, as a Democratic candidate exceeded 40% of the vote for the first time since 1968.

2020

Taylor faced no opposition in the 2020 Republican primary and competed against Democrat Lulu Seikaly in the general election. Despite demographic changes and a growing number of college-educated voters trending away from Republicans, Taylor was reelected by a margin exceeding 12 points, while President Donald Trump narrowly carried the district by just one point.

Tenure

On May 19, 2021, Taylor was one of 35 House Republicans who joined every Democrat in voting to establish a commission to investigate the January 6 Capitol riot. This decision became a focal point during his 2022 reelection campaign, drawing criticism from conservative challengers despite his overall conservative voting record.

2022 campaign and allegations of infidelity

Two days before the Republican primary on February 27, 2022, right-wing outlet National File published an interview with Tania Joya, a British woman residing in Plano at that time, who alleged a nine-month affair with Taylor during 2020–2021. Joya, widow of Yahya al-Bahrumi (born John Georgelas), an American who joined the Islamic State in 2013 and known as the "ISIS bride," stated she met Taylor during a "reprogramming" program for former jihadists. She claimed Taylor provided her $5,000 for personal expenses. These allegations were widely disseminated by Breitbart News and social media platforms; however, The Texas Tribune was unable to verify them. Joya indicated she initially attempted to have Taylor withdraw quietly by reaching out to his primary opponent Suzanne Harp but resorted to going public after failing.

Taylor received 49% of votes in the March 1, 2022 Republican primary—just below the majority threshold—leading to a runoff election on May 24 against former Collin County judge Keith Self. The following day, Taylor suspended his reelection efforts, apologizing for the affair’s effect on his family but did not resign from his congressional seat. Two days later, he officially withdrew from the runoff race, resulting in Self becoming the GOP nominee by default.

Committee assignments

• Committee on Financial Services

Caucus affiliations

• Co-Chair, For Country Caucus
• Problem Solvers Caucus
• Republican Study Committee

Personal background

In 2004, Taylor wed Anne Coolidge, who works as a real estate investment manager. The marriage ended in divorce in 2024.

External links

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