Bill Taylor (South Carolina politician)

Bill Taylor
Member of the South Carolina House of Representatives from the 86th district
Incumbent
Assumed office November 8, 2010
Preceded by	James Stewart Jr.
Personal details
Born	Bill Taylor (1946-07-16) July 16, 1946 (age 78) Aurora, Illinois, U.S.
Political party	Republican
Spouse	Donna Taylor
Children	Kasey Taylor Lenz, Ryan Taylor
Residence	Aiken, South Carolina
Education	Bradley University (B.J.)

Bill Taylor (born July 16, 1946) is an American politician. He is a member of the South Carolina House of Representatives from the 86th District, serving since November 8, 2010. He is a member of the Republican party.[1] The 86th district covers nearly two-thirds of Aiken County, South Carolina and consists of a population more than 41,000.[2] Taylor currently is a member of the House Labor, Commerce and Industry Committee. He served for a decade on the House Education and Public Works Committee, and six years on the Legislative Oversight Committee.[3]

Pre-Political Career

Bill Taylor worked in the field of journalism for many years. From 1965 to 1976, Taylor's job varied from being a reporter, news presenter, and news director, in which he would also serve as President of the Illinois News Broadcasters Association, in 1974.[4] Bill would proceed to work as a news consultant for more than 3 decades, in which he would also be the founder and CEO of a media research and consulting firm based in Dallas, Los Angeles, and London, from 1978 to 2007.[5] Most notably, prior to his career in the South Carolina House of Representatives, Bill Taylor would become a consultant to George H. W. Bush from 1991 to 1992, in the Points of Light organization.[6]

Political career

In August 2009, Bill Taylor attended the Leadership Institute's Future Candidate School, located in Arlington, Virginia, where Bill would gain essential, political knowledge. Bill later credited the institution, following his election to the South Carolina House of Representatives, saying "My campaign success was fueled by our enrolling in LI’s Future Candidate’s School; it was a most valuable experience. It’s essential to be as knowledgeable as possible and prepared for the twists and turns of a political campaign. LI smoothed our political road to success."[7] Bill ran for the Republican nomination for the 86th district in the South Carolina House of Representatives, following the announcement of his candidacy, January 2010. On June 8, Taylor won the nomination, beating incumbent, James Stewart Jr., who was seeking his fifth term.[8] Taylor won the election in the safe, Republican district, and currently still holds the seat. Throughout his time in office, Bill's most significant positions included Chairman of the Higher Education Sub-Committee (State House Education & Public Works Committee), from 2015 to present, and Majority Caucus Whip from 2013 to 2016.[1]

Electoral history

2010

South Carolina State House of Representatives District 86 Republican Primary 2010 [9]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Republican	Bill Taylor	2,428	57.36%
	Republican	James Stewart Jr. (incumbent)	1,805	42.64%
Total votes			4,233	100.0%

South Carolina State House of Representatives District 86 General Election 2010 [10]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Republican	Bill Taylor	9,007	97.82%
	Write-in	Write-in	201	2.18%
Total votes			9,208	100.0%

2012

South Carolina State House of Representatives District 86 General Election 2012 [11]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Republican	Bill Taylor	10,931	96.45%
	Write-in	Write-in	402	3.55%
Total votes			11,333	100.0%

2014

South Carolina State House of Representatives District 86 General Election 2014 [12]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Republican	Bill Taylor	7,534	98.57%
	Write-in	Write-in	109	1.43%
Total votes			7,643	100.0%

2016

South Carolina State House of Representatives District 86 General Election 2016 [13]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Republican	Bill Taylor	12,312	98.78%
	Write-in	Write-in	152	1.22%
Total votes			12,464	100.0%

2018

South Carolina State House of Representatives District 86 General Election 2018 [14]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Republican	Bill Taylor	9,703	97.75%
	Write-in	Write-in	223	2.25%
Total votes			9,926	100.0%

References

1. "Representative Bill Taylor". South Carolina Legislature. Retrieved July 29, 2020.
2. "South Carolina House of Representatives District 86". Ballotpedia. Retrieved July 29, 2020.
3. "Bill Taylor's Biography". Vote Smart. Retrieved July 29, 2020.
4. "R-Bill Taylor". Aiken Standard. Retrieved July 30, 2020.
5. "Legislator Detail Rep. Bill Taylor(R)". CO-OPS VOTE. Retrieved July 30, 2020.
6. "Meet Bill". Bill Taylor State House. Retrieved July 30, 2020.
7. "South Carolina State Representative Bill Taylor: "My campaign success was fueled by enrolling in LI's Future Candidate School"". Leadership Institute. Retrieved July 31, 2020.
8. "James Steward Jr". Ballotpedia. Retrieved July 31, 2020.
9. "State House of Representatives District 86 - REP 2010". South Carolina State Election Commission. Retrieved July 29, 2020.
10. "State House of Representatives District 86 2010". South Carolina State Election Commission. Retrieved July 29, 2020.
11. "State House of Representatives District 86 2012". South Carolina State Election Commission. Retrieved July 29, 2020.
12. "State House of Representatives District 86 2014". South Carolina State Election Commission. Retrieved July 29, 2020.
13. "State House of Representatives District 86 2016". South Carolina State Election Commission. Retrieved July 29, 2020.
14. "State House of Representatives District 86 2018". South Carolina State Election Commission. Retrieved July 29, 2020.