Jeffrey Taylor (born January 30, 1961) is an American political scientist, politician, and a

Republican Republican can refer to: Political ideology * An advocate of a republic, a type of government that is not a monarchy or dictatorship, and is usually associated with the rule of law. ** Republicanism, the ideology in support of republics or agains ...

member of the

Iowa Senate The Iowa Senate is the upper house of the Iowa General Assembly, United States. There are 50 seats in the Iowa Senate, representing 50 single-member districts across the state of Iowa with populations of approximately 60,927 per constituency, . ...

from

District 2 District 2 may refer to: Places by country *II District, Turku, in Finland * District 2, Düsseldorf, Germany *District 2, Grand Bassa County, a district in Liberia *District 2, an electoral district of Malta *District 2, a police district of Mal ...

since January 11, 2021.

Early life and career

Taylor is from

Spencer, Iowa Spencer is a city in the state of Iowa, United States, and the county seat of Clay County. It is located at the confluence of the Little Sioux and Ocheyedan rivers. The population was 11,325 in the 2020 census, an increase from 11,317 in 2000. ...

. He attended Northwestern College before completing a master's degree from the

University of Iowa The University of Iowa (UI, U of I, UIowa, or simply Iowa) is a public research university in Iowa City, Iowa, United States. Founded in 1847, it is the oldest and largest university in the state. The University of Iowa is organized into 12 col ...

and a master's and doctorate from the

University of Missouri The University of Missouri (Mizzou, MU, or Missouri) is a public land-grant research university in Columbia, Missouri. It is Missouri's largest university and the flagship of the four-campus University of Missouri System. MU was founded in ...

. As a scholar, he was an early exponent of the

horseshoe theory In political science and popular discourse, the horseshoe theory asserts that the extreme left and the extreme right, rather than being at opposite and opposing ends of a linear political continuum, closely resemble each other, analogous to t ...

of political ideology. Taylor taught at Dordt University for eight years prior to running for public office in 2020. Taylor was also a political analyst for

KCAU-TV KCAU-TV (channel 9) is a television station in Sioux City, Iowa, United States, affiliated with ABC and owned by Nexstar Media Group. The station's studios are located on Gordon Drive in Sioux City, and its transmitter is located near Hinton, I ...

Political career

In 2012, Taylor served as a delegate to the Republican National Convention from Iowa. In October 2019, Taylor announced that he would be seeking election to the Iowa Senate, as incumbent

Randy Feenstra Randall Lee Feenstra (born January 14, 1969) is an American politician and businessman serving as the U.S. representative for Iowa's 4th congressional district. The district covers much of the northwestern quadrant of the state, including Sioux ...

vacated the seat to run for the

United States House of Representatives The United States House of Representatives, often referred to as the House of Representatives, the U.S. House, or simply the House, is the lower chamber of the United States Congress, with the Senate being the upper chamber. Together they ...

. Taylor's candidacy in the Republican Party primary was certified in February 2020. Taylor reported that more than 250 signatures were submitted in his petition for ballot access. He was unopposed in the primary and general elections.

Published works

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References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Taylor, Jeff 1961 births Living people 21st-century American politicians Republican Party Iowa state senators Dordt University faculty Northwestern College (Iowa) alumni University of Iowa alumni University of Missouri alumni People from Spencer, Iowa People from Sioux Center, Iowa 21st-century American male writers American political scientists Writers from Iowa