US Rep. Van Taylor drops Texas reelection bid, admits affair

By JAKE BLEIBERG and TERRY WALLACE
Associated Press

DALLAS (AP) — U.S. Rep. Van Taylor of Texas is ending his reelection campaign and has admitted having an affair following reports that he had been in a relationship with the widow of an American-born recruiter for the Islamic State group. The North Texas congressman’s announcement came the day after former Collin County Judge Keith Self forced Taylor into a Republican primary runoff. Several days before the election, some right-wing websites reported on an interview with Tania Joya, who had said she had an affair with Taylor that lasted from October 2020 to June 2021. Joya, of Plano, Texas, told The Dallas Morning News on Monday night that she had met the congressman through her work as an ex-jihadist helping to reprogram extremists.