By TODD STACY, Alabama Daily News
Former State Sen. Bryan Taylor has decided to exit the race for Supreme Court.
Taylor surprised the political chattering class by qualifying at the last minute for the the Supreme Court Place 2 GOP primary, later explaining that it was a “technical filing” and a “placeholder” just in case he actually decided to run. Taylor most recently left his post as Legal Counsel for Gov. Kay Ivey in order to avoid conflicts of interests as his wife, Jessica, pursues the GOP nomination for Congress in Alabama’s 2nd District.
In this week’s edition of Inside Alabama Politics, it was speculated that Taylor would likely exit the race rather than continue to run against incumbent Supreme Court Justice Greg Shaw and challenger State Sen. Cam Ward.
An excerpt from that issue:
The big question mark in this race is whether or not former State Sen. and former Ivey Legal Counsel Bryan Taylor will remain among the field. Taylor surprised everyone by qualifying at the last minute for the the Supreme Court Place 2 GOP primary, later explaining that it was a “technical filing” and a “placeholder” just in case he actually decides to run. With less than two-and-a-half months to go, that decision is becoming timely. Will Taylor (1) run for real and aim to win the seat, (2) stay in to play spoiler and possibly tip the race by going after one of the other candidates, or (3) exit quietly and keep his powder dry for a possible race down the road? IAP leans toward Door Number Three.
In a statement to Alabama Daily News, Taylor said he has decided not to run after thinking and praying about it with his family. Taylor’s wife, Jessica, is seeking the GOP nomination for Congress in Alabama’s 2nd District.
Read the full IAP edition HERE.
In a statement to Alabama Daily News, Taylor said he has decided not to run after thinking and praying about it with his family.
“By the Nov. 8 qualifying deadline, I hadn’t decided between launching a campaign for the Alabama Supreme Court or pursuing another opportunity. But in order to reserve the right to run, I filed the necessary paperwork and fee by the deadline,” Bryan Taylor wrote.
“Now, after spending a few weeks prayerfully considering the options with my family, I have decided not to run this year. Instead, I will continue to focus all of my political efforts on electing the most conservative candidate for Congress from Alabama’s 2nd Congressional District: my wife, Jessica Taylor.”