Taylor makes Senate announcement

Published 10:21 pm Monday, April 26, 2010

Republican state Senate candidate Bryan Taylor made a stop in Troy Monday to officially announce his campaign.

Taylor, who resigned last week as the policy director and legal council for Gov. Bob Riley to run for office, has seen first-hand the workings of the Alabama Legislature for the past four years, he said.

And, that’s what’s inspired him to seek the office.

Sign up for our daily email newsletter

Get the latest news sent to your inbox

“Year after year the Legislature just gets worse,” Taylor said.

“If people in Alabama knew half of what was going on in the Legislature, there’s no doubt they would elect all new officials.”

If he is elected, Taylor said his primary focus will be to reform state government.

“When it comes to corruption in the Alabama Legislature, I’ve had enough, you’ve had enough, we’ve all had enough,” Taylor said.

“I have a stack of bills I’ve helped the governor write that have never made it through the Legislature.”

Bills like limiting terms for Legislators, campaign finance bills and bills requiring lobbyists to have full disclosure of what they spend are some of what Taylor said would be priority if elected to the Senate seat, which represents Pike County.

“Once you’ve lay that foundation for good government, you can talk about issues like jobs, health care and education,” he said.

“We have a Democrat majority saying one thing to us in our home district and going to Montgomery and doing the opposite.”

Taylor said he believes in low taxes, smaller government and standing up for the Constitution.

Taylor will face Republicans Ray Boles and Ken Barnett, both also of Prattville, in the June primary.

That opponent will vie with incumbent Sen. Wendell Mitchell, D-Luverne, in November.

Before Taylor worked in the governor’s office, he was a military prosecutor for the U.S. Army for four years.

He is married to Jessica, a project coordinator in the Office of Faith Based and Community Initiative.