Texas Republican Van Taylor has dropped out of re-election after admitting to an affair with a woman described by a conservative news outlet as an “ISIS bride”, the New York Post reports.
On Wednesday, 2 March 2022, Taylor confirmed he was dropping his bid for a third term, conceding to Keith Self in the run-off.
The politician said: “About a year ago, I made a horrible mistake that has caused deep hurt and pain among those I love most in this world. I had an affair, it was wrong, and it was the greatest failure of my life.”
Just before Tuesday’s primary, conservative news outlet National File revealed Taylor’s affair with British native Tania Joya, the widow of John Georgelas, an American who joined ISIS in 2013.
Amid the reports, the public’s attention turned to his career and relationship with his wife and children.
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Who is Van Taylor?
Van Taylor is a businessman and US representative for Texas’ 3rd congressional district. He hails from Plano, Texas.
After finishing high school, he attended Harvard College where he achieved a Bachelor of Arts degree in history. He later volunteered to serve his country and received a commission in the United States Marine Corps, his bio states.
He completed intelligence school and commanded the First Marine Regiment’s reconnaissance platoon in Camp Pendleton, California. He was also an intelligence officer for an artillery battalion and served in Iraq two years after the September 11 attacks.
In 2005 and 2006, Taylor ran for Texas’ 17th congressional district but lost to Democrat Chet Edwards. Between 2002 and 2018, he worked as a a real estate investment banker at a principal investment firm.
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Meet Van Taylor’s wife and family
Van Taylor has been married to real estate investment manager Anne Coolidge since 2004. They tied the knot after his return from Iraq.
They are parents to three girls – Laura, Helen and Susie. They have raised their children in Plano near the land Taylor’s great-grandfather farmed during the Great Depression, his bio states.
According to a LinkedIn profile under the name Anne Coolidge Taylor, she served as managing director of a real estate investment trust from 1993 to 2015.
As per the account, Anne obtained her BA degree from Harvard University before earning her MBA at Columbia University in the City of New York. There are no further details about her current role at the time of writing.
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