Scott William Taylor (born June 27, 1979) is an American politician and former Navy SEAL who served as the United States representative for Virginia's 2nd congressional district from 2017 to 2019. A Republican, he was previously a member of the Virginia House of Delegates for the 85th district. On November 6, 2018, Taylor was defeated for reelection by Democrat and U.S. Navy veteran Elaine Luria. On July 8, 2019, he announced his intention to run for the United States Senate in 2020. However, in December 2019, he instead opted to run again for his old seat in the U.S. House of Representatives. In the November general election, he was defeated by Luria in a rematch.
Early life and education
Scott William Taylor was born in Baltimore and raised in Hebron, Maryland.
After high school, he enlisted in the United States Navy. Taylor received orders to Basic Underwater Demolition/SEAL training (BUD/S) at Naval Amphibious Base Coronado. Taylor graduated with BUD/S class 219 in October 1998 and then attended Basic Airborne School at Fort Benning, Georgia. Following SEAL Tactical Training (STT) and completion of six month probationary period, he received the Navy Enlisted Classification (NEC) 5326 as a Combatant Swimmer (SEAL), entitled to wear the Special Warfare insignia. He deployed in counternarcotics and foreign intelligence defense missions with SEAL Team 4. He is fluent in Spanish and served overseas in South and Central America in counternarcotics and foreign internal defense missions.
A combat veteran of Operation Iraqi Freedom, Taylor was a SEAL sniper, and was injured on a combat mission in Ramadi, Iraq. He spent two years as a SEAL instructor teaching marksmanship and reconnaissance. Taylor appeared in the Discovery Channel feature Secrets of Seal Team 6.
After leaving the military, Taylor worked in security consulting and critical infrastructure protection, frequently traveling to Yemen. He received a certification in government contracting from Old Dominion University, and a Bachelor of Liberal Arts from Harvard University Extension School.
Early career
In 2008, Taylor ran for Mayor of Virginia Beach, Virginia. He was a candidate in the 2010 primary election for Virginia's 2nd congressional district, but lost to Scott Rigell. Taylor was elected to the Virginia House of Delegates for the 85th district in November 2013, where, as a delegate, Taylor cosponsored a bill to outlaw discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity in labor and housing.
In 2012, Taylor founded and served as chairman for the Special Operations OPSEC Education Fund, a 501(c) Political Action Committee formed in 2012 accusing the Obama Administration of security leaks and taking too much credit for the killing of Osama bin Laden in 2011.
Taylor passed an equity crowdfunding bill into a law which makes it easier for small businesses to access capital. He also established The Veterans Services Foundation Act which states that, to support its mission, the foundation can accept funds from all sources including private fundraising and others. He also passed a bill to establish a veterans resource center with at least one full-time veterans advisor on the campus of each of the seven comprehensive community colleges in the Commonwealth.
U.S. House of Representatives
Elections
2016
In 2016, after the incumbent Scott Rigell, a Republican, announced he would not seek re-election, Taylor won the Republican Party nomination for Virginia's 2nd congressional district in the United States House of Representatives, defeating Randy Forbes in the primary, then defeated Democrat Shaun Brown, 61.3% to 38.5%, to win the general election on November 8, 2016. Taylor was a member of the Republican Main Street Partnership, as well as of the Republican Study Committee and the Climate Solutions Caucus.
2018
In January 2018, former Navy commander Elaine Luria announced her intention to run for Taylor's seat. In the June 10 Democratic primary, Luria received 62% of the vote, defeating Karen Mallard, who received 38%. In the Republican primary, Taylor defeated Mary Jones, 76% to 24%.