Taylor opts not to seek re-election for Senate
State Sen. Larry Taylor, R-Friendswood, will not run for re-election next year after serving for nearly two decades, first as a member of the House of Representatives and then in the Senate, where he chaired the powerful education committee and leads the Senate Republican Caucus.
Taylor had said in June that he intended to run again for the Galveston-area seat, but he announced the change of plans in a statement Tuesday.
“This has been a very difficult decision, as having the privilege of representing my community in the Legislature for nearly two decades has been the biggest honor of my life,” he said. “Together, with my colleagues in the Legislature, we have dealt with multiple challenges and worked to secure Texas’ future as a leader for our country. I am so proud of our work and so incredibly blessed to have been a part of it.”
He added that public service is a “sacrifice” that both brings on stress and mandates time away from friends and family.
Taylor later told the Galveston County Daily News that his decision was partially motivated by state Rep. Mayes Middleton’s intentions to run for the Senate seat. Middleton, R-Wallisville, has been a member of the state House since 2019 and also announced his campaign for the Senate on Tuesday.
As head of the Senate’s education committee, Taylor spearheaded the state’s landmark school finance bill in 2019. He also serves on the committees for finance, higher education, border security and rural affairs.
He owns an insurance agency in Friendswood. He is the fifth state senator to announce he won’t seek re-election in 2021.