Why some Texas conservatives believe Van Taylor betrayed them

Rep. Van Taylor’s opponents in the March 1 primary have accused him of “betrayal” because he accepts the fact that former President Trump lost the 2020 presidential election.

Why it matters: Taylor’s primary race, in a deeply conservative Texas congressional district that includes parts of Collin and Hunt counties, will be a bellwether for Republicans across the country.

• Receiving "A" grades from the NRA and National Right to Life — in addition to support from Sen. Ted Cruz — hasn’t protected him against charges that he’s a “RINO” (a Republican in name only).

Background: Taylor voted to certify the results of the 2020 election because he believed it was the “conservative choice,” he wrote in a DMN op-ed last year. He’s just one of six members of Congress with a 100% score from conservative advocacy group Heritage Action.

Context: For perspective, the ads accusing Taylor of betrayal also call Rep. Liz Cheney — daughter of former Vice President Dick Cheney — a “liberal.”

• Taylor’s opponents in the primary also claim he supported the 9/11-style commission investigating the Jan. 6 insurrection, though he voted against the panel.

What they’re saying: “When that does come up, I tell people I voted against Nancy Pelosi’s Jan. 6 select committee, the witch hunt that is currently harassing Republicans, every time it came up for a vote,” Taylor told the DMN this month.