The surprise announcement came hours after Taylor completed her five-way primary with 49% of the vote. Former Colin County Judge Keith Self, who finished second, is now likely to become the next congressman for the third district.
US Representative Van Teller, R-Plano, has decided to end his re-election campaign after being forced into a primary runoff amid 11th-hour allegations of infidelity.
Taylor made the shocking announcement Wednesday, hours after ending his five-way primary with 49% of the vote, having missed the cutoff to win the primary outright. The runner-up was former Colin County Judge Keith Self, who is now likely to become the next congressman for the third district.
"About a year ago, I made a terrible mistake that has left me deeply hurt and in pain among the most loved in this world," Taylor wrote in an email to supporters. "I had an affair, it was wrong, and it was the biggest failure of my life. I want to apologize for the pain caused by my indiscretion, above all to my wife Anne and our three daughters."
The day before the primary, conservative outlet Breitbart News posted a story that Taylor was having a one-month affair with a Plano woman, Tania Joya, whom she paid $5,000 to keep quiet. The publication reported that he provided a phone screen shot of communication with the teller and a bank record showing that he had deposited $5,000 into his account. The Texas Tribune could not independently verify the report.
Taylor has three children.
Zoya is known to be a former jihadist who was once married to an Islamic State commander. The tabloids refer to her as the "ISIS bride".
Efforts to reach Joya on Wednesday were not immediately successful.
According to a spokesperson, Taylor has until March 16 to remove his name from the runoff ballot, which he plans to do. After doing so, Self is automatically the Republican nominee for the district. The Democratic nominee for the seat is Sandeep Srivastava, but he faced long odds after the district was redrawn last year in favor of Republicans.
Taylor, a former state senator, was first elected in 2018 to represent the third congressional district in the Dallas suburbs. His four primary challengers on Tuesday won the U.S. criticized his vote last year for a commission to investigate the January 6, 2021 attack on the Capitol.
27% behind Self Teller on the first Tuesday. She was followed by Susan Harp at 21%, and the remaining two challengers were in the low single digits.
In his email to supporters, Taylor said he spoke to himself about his decision to end his campaign, "and I wish him all the best as he wants to be the next congressman for this district."
Self, who served three terms as county judge in 2007, ran against Taylor as someone who "got his way" and "went to Washington." He criticized Taylor for voting to substantiate the 2020 election results and vowed support for a "full forensic audit" of the election in Texas.
All challengers focused on Taylor's vote for a proposed bipartisan, independent commission to investigate the events of January 6, 2021, when supporters of former President Donald Trump stormed the Capitol. The commission never became law, but Democratic House Speaker Nancy Pelosi later set up a select committee on January 6, the work of which is ongoing. Taylor voted against that committee, but his enemies blurred the distinction as they attacked Taylor as insufficient support of Trump.
Trump never backed in the primary, while Taylor boasted a list of endorsements led by US Sen. Ted Cruz and ran TV ads aligning himself with Trump's "America First" message.
It was a political twist of fate for Taylor, who faced a competitive general election battle last year and was stumped as "Mr. But redistribution turned his district into a Republican stronghold, providing more fertile ground for primary opposition.
Before moving to Congress, Taylor served in the Texas Legislature, building a reputation as a staunch conservative. He was a member of the State House from 2010-2015 and a member of the Texas Senate from 2015-2019.