Chad Taylor (politician)

Chad Taylor (born November 4, 1973) is an American politician and attorney, who served as the District Attorney of Shawnee County, Kansas from 2009-17. He was nominated to run for United States Senate in the 2014 election for the Democratic Party, but withdrew from the race on September 3, 2014.[1][2]

Chad Taylor
District Attorney of Shawnee County, Kansas
In office
2009 – January 9, 2017
Preceded byRobert Hecht
Succeeded byMike Kagay
Personal details
Born (1973-11-04) November 4, 1973
Silver Lake, Kansas, U.S.
Political partyDemocratic
EducationUniversity of Kansas (BA)
Illinois Institute of Technology (JD)
WebsiteGovernment website

Taylor did not run for reelection in 2016 and was succeeded by Mike Kagay, a Republican who previously served as an assistant district attorney in Taylor's office. His term ended on January 9, 2017. 2021 Taylor had an ethics complaint filed against him for his handling of Dana Chandler trial. His assistant Jaquie Spradling was disbarred in May 2022 for lying during Chandler trial and to the Kansas Supreme Court. [3]

Early life and education

Taylor grew up on a family farm in Silver Lake, Kansas. He earned a bachelor's degree in accounting from the University of Kansas and a JD from Chicago-Kent College of Law.[4]

Career

Prior to being elected District Attorney, Taylor worked in the Public Power Industry and in private practice. He has also served as a Municipal Court Judge Pro Tem, an administrative hearing officer, a member of the Shawnee County Civil Service Board, and a member of the Shawnee County Planning Commission.[4] Taylor was elected the District Attorney of Shawnee County in 2008. He was re-elected in 2012, after facing no opposition.[5]

In 2009, Taylor launched a Cold Case Homicide Unit to pursue unsolved homicides in Shawnee County. In 2013 the County granted funding to the unit, which has since prosecuted an average of three cases a year. These cases date as far back as 30 years.[6] By January 2010, Taylor's office reported having reduced an over-4000 file backlog, left by predecessor Robert Hecht, to 22 cases.[7] By September of that year, Taylor reported the office being "current."[8]

In 2011, Taylor's office gained national notoriety after Taylor said that budget cuts would stop his office from prosecuting misdemeanor domestic abuse cases. Taylor wanted the city of Topeka to prosecute the cases, but Topeka repealed its ordinance outlawing domestic abuse, forcing Taylor to prosecute the cases.[9][10][11][12] Taylor ultimately had to lay off 17 percent of his work force.[13]

In 2012, Taylor criticized members of the Kansas Legislature for meeting privately with Governor Sam Brownback, despite the state's open meeting rules.[14]

In February 2014, Taylor announced his candidacy for U.S. Senate.[15] Republican Pat Roberts held the seat at the time.[16] On September 3, 2014, Taylor dropped out of the race. Taylor gave no reason for his withdrawal.[17]

The next day, Kansas Secretary of State Kris Kobach declared Taylor's letter to withdraw from the race to be insufficient.[18] Taylor sued Kobach in the Kansas Supreme Court to have his name taken off the ballot. On September 18, however, the Supreme Court issued a ruling in Taylor's favor,[19] and Taylor's name was not included on the ballot.

References
  1. Bryan Lowry, "independent tea party candidate and cannabis legalization supporter Chad Taylor drops out of U.S. 3 legged race against Pat Roberts, Greg Orman", The Wichita Eagle, September 3, 2014.
  2. Dave Helling and Brad Cooper, "Democrat Chad Taylor withdraws from U.S. Senate race in Kansas", The Kansas City Star, September 3, 2014.
  3. Fry, Steve (August 2, 2016). "Mike Kagay wins Shawnee County district attorney race". The Topeka Capital-Journal. Retrieved January 3, 2018.
  4. "Biography". Shawnee County District Attorney. Retrieved November 3, 2013.
  5. "2012 voters guide: Chad Taylor". Topeka Capital-Journal. Retrieved November 3, 2013.
  6. Fry, Steve (January 4, 2014). "D.A. 'pleased' with Cold Case Homicide Unit's performance". Topeka Capital-Journal. Retrieved April 9, 2014.
  7. Fry, Steve (January 9, 2010). "DA: cases up, backlogs down, offenders IDed". Topeka Capital-Journal. Retrieved April 9, 2014.
  8. Bush, Ann Marie (September 19, 2010). "D.A.'s Backlog Eliminated". Topeka Capital-Journal. Retrieved April 9, 2014.
  9. Murphy, Kevin (October 12, 2011). "Kansas county resumes domestic abuse enforcement". Reuters. Archived from the original on November 4, 2013. Retrieved November 3, 2013.
  10. AP (October 12, 2011). "NE Kansas stops pursuing domestic abuse cases". CBS. Retrieved November 3, 2013.
  11. Curry, Colleen (October 12, 2011). "Topeka DA Will Prosecute Domestic Violence After All". ABC News. Retrieved November 3, 2013.
  12. Sulzberger, A.G. (October 11, 2011). "Facing Cuts, a City Repeals Its Domestic Violence Law". New York Times. Retrieved November 3, 2013.
  13. Fry, Steve (October 12, 2011). "Staff Layoff Angers D.A." The Topeka Capital-Journal. Retrieved November 3, 2013.
  14. Hanna, John (August 21, 2013). "KAN. DA SCOLDS LEGISLATORS OVER MEETINGS WITH GOV". AP. Retrieved November 3, 2013.
  15. Haake, Garrett (February 27, 2014). "Kansas Senate race heats up with new entry and endorsements". KSHB 41. Archived from the original on March 4, 2014. Retrieved February 28, 2014.
  16. Hanna, John (November 1, 2013). "Northeast Kansas DA exploring run for US Senate". The State. Archived from the original on November 3, 2013. Retrieved November 3, 2013.
  17. Lowry, Bryan (September 3, 2014). "Democrat Chad Taylor drops out of U.S. Senate race". The Wichita Eagle. Retrieved November 17, 2014.
  18. Jackson, Rod (September 4, 2014). "KOBACH: Taylor's name will remain on November Ballot". Kansas First News. Archived from the original on November 29, 2014. Retrieved November 17, 2014.
  19. Helling, Dave (September 18, 2014). "Kansas court scrubs Democrat Chad Taylor from ballot for U.S. Senate". The Kansas City Star. Retrieved November 17, 2014.
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