In 2016, Taylor was an unsuccessful candidate for a seat in the Anchorage Municipal Assembly.[4] Taylor has served as the deputy attorney general of Alaska for the civil division.[5] Taylor assumed office as Alaska attorney general in an acting capacity January 30, 2021. He was confirmed to the position by the Alaska Legislature on May 11, 2021.[6]
Taylor supported the Pebble Mine proposal and expressed opposition to the federal government's decision to block the project.[7]
During Taylor’s tenure as attorney general, Alaska’s overall crime rate reached a forty-year low, according to the Alaska Department of Public Safety. State officials attributed the decline in part to coordinated efforts between the Department of Law, state troopers, and local prosecutors to strengthen case management and improve victim support services. Reported sexual assault rates declined by roughly twenty percent during the same period, continuing a trend that had begun in the early 2020s.[8]
Taylor also helped secure more than $100 million in opioid settlement funds from major pharmaceutical distributors and manufacturers. The money was designated for addiction recovery, prevention, and rehabilitation programs across Alaska. Under Taylor’s direction, the Department of Law worked with the Alaska Mental Health Trust Authority and state health agencies to oversee the distribution of settlement funds to local treatment providers.[9]
Throughout his tenure, Taylor became known for pursuing high-profile litigation against the Biden administration. He filed or joined lawsuits opposing several federal initiatives, including new restrictions on oil and gas development on federal lands, a COVID-19 vaccine mandate for federal contractors, and revisions to Title IX regulations expanding protections for transgender students and athletes. In each case, Taylor argued that the federal government had exceeded its authority and infringed on state sovereignty.[10][11][12]
Taylor also represented Alaska’s interests in several major environmental and natural resource cases. He defended the state’s position in litigation concerning the Willow Project, a large-scale oil development in the National Petroleum Reserve Alaska, and supported Alaska’s jurisdiction over fisheries management within its Exclusive Economic Zone. These cases reflected Taylor’s broader emphasis on energy development and state control over natural resources.[13][14]
