Jeff Taylor (politician)

This article is about American politician from Iowa. For other people with the same name, see Jeffrey Taylor.

Jeffrey Taylor (born January 30, 1961) is an American political scientist, politician, and a Republican Party member of the Iowa Senate from District 2 since January 11, 2021.

Jeff Taylor
Member of the Iowa Senate from the 2nd district
Incumbent
Assumed office January 11, 2021
Preceded by	Randy Feenstra
Personal details
Born	(1961-01-30) January 30, 1961 (age 64) Spencer, Iowa, U.S.
Political party	Republican
Residence(s)	Sioux Center, Iowa, U.S.
Alma mater	Northwestern College University of Iowa University of Missouri
Occupation	Professor

Early life and career

Taylor is from Spencer, Iowa. He attended Northwestern College before completing a master's degree from the University of Iowa and a master's and doctorate from the University of Missouri. As a scholar, he was an early exponent of the horseshoe theory of political ideology. Taylor taught at Dordt University for eight years prior to running for public office in 2020.^[1] Taylor was also a political analyst for KCAU-TV.^[2]

Political career

In 2012, Taylor served as a delegate to the Republican National Convention from Iowa.^[2]

In October 2019, Taylor announced that he would be seeking election to the Iowa Senate,^[1][3] as incumbent Randy Feenstra vacated the seat to run for the United States House of Representatives.^[4][5] Taylor's candidacy in the Republican Party primary was certified in February 2020.^[6][7] Taylor reported that more than 250 signatures were submitted in his petition for ballot access.^[8] He was unopposed in the primary and general elections.^[9][10][11] In July 2023, Taylor announced that he would be seeking reelection.^[12]

Published works

• Taylor, Jeff (2006). Where Did the Party Go? William Jennings Bryan, Hubert Humphrey, and the Jeffersonian Legacy. University of Missouri Press. ISBN 9780826216618.^[13]
• Taylor, Jeff (2013). Politics on a Human Scale: The American Tradition of Decentralism. Lexington Books. ISBN 9780739186749.^[14]
• Taylor, Jeff; Israelson, Chad (2015). The Political World of Bob Dylan: Freedom and Justice, Power and Sin. Palgrave Macmillan. ISBN 9781137482341.^[15]

References

1. Sandbulte, Eric (October 7, 2019). "Dordt professor runs for state senate". Sioux Center News. Retrieved November 4, 2020.
2. "Sioux Center Man Declares Candidacy for District 2 Iowa State Senate Seat". Sioux County Radio. October 7, 2019. Retrieved November 4, 2020.
3. "Spencer native seeking Feenstra's senate seat". Spencer Daily Reporter. October 7, 2019. Retrieved November 4, 2020.
4. "Jeff Taylor to run for District 2 Iowa State Senate". KTIV. October 7, 2019. Retrieved November 4, 2020.
5. Hayworth, Bret (October 7, 2019). "Northwest Iowa professor running for legislative seat being vacated by Feenstra". Sioux City Journal. Retrieved November 4, 2020.
6. "Sioux Center political science professor announces run for Iowa Senate". Siouxland News. February 28, 2020. Retrieved November 4, 2020.
7. Van Aartsen, Scott (March 2, 2020). "Taylor Is Officially On The Ballot For June Primary In District 2". Retrieved November 4, 2020.
8. "Name of Sioux Center Resident Will Be on Primary Ballot". Sioux County Radio. March 2, 2020. Retrieved November 4, 2020.
9. Van Aartsen, Scott (March 31, 2020). "Candidates To Run For Party Nominations In June". KIWA. Retrieved November 4, 2020.
10. "Taylor running unopposed for Iowa Senate seat, has lifelong interest in politics". The Iowa Standard. March 20, 2020. Retrieved November 4, 2020.
11. Struck, Paul (June 5, 2020). "3,380 votes cast in Primary". Chronicle Times. Retrieved November 4, 2020.
12. Teunissen, Gage (July 17, 2023). "Iowa State Senator Jeff Taylor seeking re-election". KCAU. Retrieved October 14, 2023.
13. Weeks, David L. (September 2008). "Where Did the Party Go?: William Jennings Bryan, Hubert Humphrey, and the Jeffersonian Legacy – By Jeff Taylor". The Historian. 70 (3): 561–562. doi:10.1111/j.1540-6563.2008.00221_33.x. S2CID 145105751.
14. Vande Griend, Doug (2015). "Politics on a Human Scale: The American Tradition of Decentralism". Pro Rege. 43 (3): 39–41.
15. McDonald, Travis (2018). "The Political World of Bob Dylan: Freedom and Justice, Power and Sin". Rock Music Studies. 5 (2): 180–182. doi:10.1080/19401159.2018.1499233. S2CID 158399760.