Daniel Wolfram
The self-described Christian family man and Republican candidate claims the expiration date has passed on a wild phase that happened three years ago.
With under a week to go before potentially 250 million Americans cast their vote in the midterm elections, candidates are hoping that the home stretch of their campaigns will be smooth sailing.
That is not how a local politician in Tennessee is managing his campaign as he is trying to weather a storm of his own making.
It has to do with sending lewd pictures to different women who are not his wife. He excuses the action as being youthful. The problem is that he had already turned 50 when he started to send unwanted pictures to women.
Sending nudes at 53
According to a report by the Nashville Scene, a local newspaper in Tennessee, Republican state Senator Brent Taylor has admitted to sending unsolicited naked pictures to women in the past.
Multiple people told the outlet they received or viewed the nudes. One individual confirmed receiving an unwarranted picture as recently as 2021, when the politician was 53 years old.
That revelation goes strictly against his own defense as he has excused his actions as “youthful indiscretions”. It also undermines his message of Christian faith and how he has presented himself as a devout Christian family man and a dedicated husband throughout his run in Tennessee’s 9th Congressional District.
Taylor acknowledged sending the images but insisted his wife has forgiven him and claimed it is water under the bridge.
“As I near 60 years old, the expiration date has come and gone on any of my youthful indiscretions,” Taylor told the Scene. “Whatever story you think you’ve got, my wife is well aware of, and we’ve worked through it a long time ago. My God and my wife have forgiven me, and I would consider everyone else doing the same”.
An unusual defense
When pressed about the messages and pictures, the candidate chose an unexpected label for his past behavior. “All I can tell you is, in the past, I’ve been guilty of being a rounder, back in the day,” Taylor told the Scene. Pressed on the phrase, which typically refers to a degenerate with dubious morals, he told reporters to look it up.
A second witness independently confirmed the photos to the Scene.
The controversy lands in the middle of a shifting political fight. State Republicans redrew district lines in May to give conservatives an advantage, helping Taylor defeat state Representative Todd Warner in the August primary. While Democratic opponent Justin Pearson has closed the gap in recent polling, forecasts still give Taylor the upper hand.
