Army vet running for U.S. Senate isn't here to save the day
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What is the main topic discussed in this episode?
You're listening to the Kansas reflector podcast. I'm Anna Kaminsky. Noah Taylor calls it like he sees it as a democratic candidate for the U S Senate. He slips curse words in his promotional materials. He pits himself as the alternative to Washington elites and promotes his brand of politics as a solution to a system that's rigged against everyday Kansans. We don't have to take the lying down. He says on his campaign website. Noah is an El Dorado native, and he's my guest today. He's here to speak with me ahead of the August 4th primary, where he will face off against 10 other Democrats who want to challenge the presumed Republican nominee, incumbent U.S. Senator Roger Marshall. Noah Taylor, thank you for being here with me today.
So can you first tell us a little bit about, um, your origin? You, you grew up in El Dorado. Tell us how you grew up. Um, who are your parents? Where'd
you go to school? Yeah. So my dad's a pipe fitter. He's one of those guys that if something's broke, no matter what it is, he can fix it. Uh, my mom's a nurse. Uh, we grew up outside of El Dorado, kind of past the prison. I like to say just far enough where if you wanted something done, you got to get it done yourself because no one's wanting to run into town. So, yeah. But I went to El Dorado High School, went throughout the public school system there. I did one year, I think, at a small private school in El Dorado and quickly realized that wasn't for me. And we went back to public.
And following, was it high school graduation, you decided to enter the Army?
Yeah. So after high school, I did one year at Butler Community College trying to find where I wanted to go with life. But I realized I didn't I couldn't see that path. And so I knew the army could help me find that to find that.
And what did you find while in the army?
You know, I found what it means to hold my values. I found what it means to stand for something and have the fortitude to understand that there's a purpose much greater than, you know, whatever I wanted at that time. And it helped me really drill into what I want my life to be and what I view my purpose as.
And how long did you serve?
So I did about three years in some change as an infantryman. And then I did about three years as a counterintelligence analyst.
And what are you doing now?
Now I'm a small business operator. My boss is an Air Force veteran who just retired. Shout out to him. And he's a serial entrepreneur. And the guy has an incredible skill at starting businesses, operating and growing businesses. And so what I like to tell people is he builds them. I just make sure the wheels don't fall off.
Can you tell listeners a little bit about what motivated you to run for elected office?
Yeah.
Who is Noah Taylor and how did his Kansas upbringing shape his political outlook?
You know, when I joined the military, I took an oath to the constitution and that oath was to protect it against enemies, foreign and domestic. And right now we have a, a Congress that's abdicating their duties, uh, an executive branch that's consolidating power and a Supreme court that's stripping away our voting rights. And 50 years from now, my grandkids are going to ask me what we did in this moment. And the only acceptable answer is fight like hell with every fiber of my being.
Why are you running as a Democrat?
Yeah. I'm running as a Democrat. I think the best way to explain it is I was 11 and it was my birthday. We grew up fairly poor, so we would go camping. And one night, my dad showed up with a homeless individual in the truck and a huge storm was coming in and he was like, it's not right for him to stand in the storm. So, He sat with us all night, ate cake with us, sang happy birthday to me. And then when the night was over, dad took him where he needed to go. And that values of looking out for the little guy, giving the shirt off your back, even when we didn't have a ton, we gave. That's why I'm running as a Democrat.
And why the U.S. Senate and why now?
I'm running in the U.S. Senate because I'm tired of having people at the federal level that don't understand our lives, our values, and our experiences.
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Chapters
5 chapters
1
What is the main topic discussed in this episode?
0:00–2:55
2
Who is Noah Taylor and how did his Kansas upbringing shape his political outlook?
2:55–11:03
3
Why did a former Army infantryman and counter‑intelligence analyst decide to run for the U.S. Senate?
11:03–20:03
4
How does Taylor differentiate himself from the other Democratic candidates and the incumbent Republican?
20:03–27:01
5
What is the “Unrigged Washington” campaign and how is Taylor funding his run without corporate money?
27:01–29:17
Speakers
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