Composite 5.79 / 10, weighted per the Constitutional Weight Schedule.
Below the 700 bar, Author's Verdict: not supported.
A first-term record (sworn January 2025), thin by necessity, that lands just under the support threshold on an honest middle. No Severity flag applies: Taylor could not have signed the December 2020 Texas v. Pennsylvania amicus (he was not yet in office), and no documented enemy-making pattern appears, so this is NOT a capping non-support, it is a composite call. The record carries no extraordinary character evidence to elevate it above the bar, and one real fiduciary drag pulls it down: an unusually heavy first-term stock-trading volume (top ~8% of Congress) creating a live appearance-of-conflict. The swastika-flag office incident is weighed as an outside-actor appearance event he publicly condemned, not a finding against him. Withheld support is provisional, the record is short, and a clean, substantive second term could move it above the line.
No military service on record. Civilian background: part-time assistant prosecutor, Clermont County, Ohio; later President of the family business, Sardinia Ready Mix (Brown County). No service badge applies; included here as context only, not scored.
The 14 measures
Each measure is scored 0–10 against an anchored example, with a cited source. Hover/expand why? for the reasoning.
| # | Measure | Score | Why |
|---|---|---|---|
| M01 | Duty to Constitution & Rule of Law | 6 | why?Oath-fidelity to constitutional structure. No documented process-subversion conduct: seated January 2025, Taylor could not have signed the December 2020 Texas v. Pennsylvania amicus and did not participate in the
January 6, 2021 certification at all (not yet in office). No documented attempt to use legal-on-its-face
power to defeat a constitutional purpose. Held at the honest-middle for a thin first-term record rather
than elevated, there is no affirmative pro-oath stand at cost on the record yet either.
[source] |
| M02 | Party Over Country | 6 | why?Cross-aisle cooperation. Led a bipartisan letter to the Secretary of Transportation on an I-73 corridor
feasibility study, a genuine, documented instance of working across the aisle on a constituent-infrastructure
matter. Single first-term data point; no Lugar Bipartisan Index score exists yet for the 119th. Slightly
above floor for the documented cooperation, not higher absent a pattern.
[source] |
| M03 | Persons of Equal Worth | 6 | why?Persons-of-equal-worth / anti-belonging. No documented instance of Taylor casting constituents or opponents
as not belonging. The October 2025 swastika-flag incident in his Cannon office originated with an outside
actor (multiple GOP offices were targeted); Taylor himself condemned it as "a vile and deeply inappropriate
symbol." Weighed as an appearance event he publicly disavowed, not conduct attributable to him. Honest middle.
[source] |
| M04 | Weaponization of Justice | 6 | why?Weaponization of state power against rivals. No documented instance. As a former part-time county prosecutor
and freshman member, there is no record of using official power to target opponents. No criterion-class
conduct. Middle, reflecting absence of evidence either direction.
[source] |
| M05 | Incitement / Anti-Belonging | 6 | why?Rhetorical restraint. No documented pattern of dehumanizing or inciting rhetoric. His most visible public
statement of note, condemning the office swastika flag, was measured. No high-mark cross-pressure rhetoric
on record either. Honest middle for a short record.
[source] |
| M06 | Fiduciary Conduct | 5 | why?Fiduciary appearance-of-impropriety. Within his first 14 months Taylor executed 130+ individual stock trades
of $1,000+, ranking ~43rd of 538 members by volume (top ~8%), including financial-sector names (Visa, JPMorgan Chase) within a month of taking office. No charge, finding, or STOCK Act violation is alleged, so
this is a weighed appearance-concern, not a finding; but the sheer volume of active individual trading while
legislating is a genuine drag on the appearance standard. Below middle on that basis.
[source] |
| M07 | Duty to Call Out | 5 | why?Active call-out duty, the higher bar being calling out one's OWN side at cost. No documented instance of
Taylor breaking with his own party at political cost, and no documented failure to do so on a clear-cut
matter either. Thin first-term record; held just below middle because the affirmative duty is, on the
evidence, unmet rather than met.
[source] |
| M08 | The Discretion Test | 6 | why?Discretion test, using position for self versus for the public. No documented abuse of discretionary
official power for personal benefit. The stock-trading concern is captured under M06/M11 rather than
double-counted here. Middle, reflecting no adverse discretion event on record.
[source] |
| M09 | The No-Camera Test | 6 | why?Private-versus-public contempt gap. No documented divergence between an off-camera and on-camera posture.
No reporting of a hidden-contempt pattern. Honest middle for absence of evidence.
[source] |
| M10 | Constituent-vs-Donor Vote | 6 | why?Constituent representation and diligence. Missed 0 of 553 roll-call votes (0.0% absence) in his first term, a strong, documented diligence marker. Led a constituent-infrastructure letter (I-73). Held at middle-plus by
the perfect attendance, not higher absent a deeper substantive constituent-advocacy record this early.
[source] |
| M11 | Net-Worth Trajectory | 5 | why?Office-attributable enrichment ONLY (raw wealth is excluded by rule). Taylor's family business (Sardinia
Ready Mix, valued $5M-$25M) and its pre-office income are NOT penalized, that is pre/non-office wealth.
What is scored is the live appearance-of-conflict from heavy individual-equity trading (130+ trades, top ~8%
of Congress by volume) while holding a federal legislative seat with access to nonpublic information flows.
No STOCK Act violation is charged, so this is an appearance-concern, not a finding, but the active personal
trading is precisely the office-adjacent conduct this measure targets. Below middle on that basis.
[source] |
| M12 | Floor Decorum | 6 | why?Institutional decorum and respect for the office over the spectacle. No documented decorum breaches, censure,
or floor-conduct sanctions. Perfect voting attendance suggests an institutionally engaged posture. Honest
middle for a short, unremarkable-on-decorum record.
[source] |
| M13 | Lying & Misleading | 6 | why?Truthfulness, sustained documented-falsehood pattern test. No documented pattern of sustained falsehoods on
record. The one contested factual claim, that the office swastika was an "optical illusion," disputed by
other targeted offices, is a single self-serving characterization of an outside-actor incident, not a
sustained pattern. Weighed as a minor note, kept at middle.
[source] |
| M14 | Knowledge Depth | 6 | why?Substance over talking points. Sponsored legislation touching agriculture, healthcare, and postal-facility
designations in the 119th; brings a prosecutorial and small-business background. A workmanlike but not yet
distinguished substantive record for a freshman. Honest middle.
[source] |
Why not higher, the points withheld
The standard is the seat; the ceiling is a perfect 10. Every withheld point traces to documented conduct, weighed where the measures and attributes say it belongs, shown openly here, the same way the earned points are.
| Where | Documented conduct | Mitigation weighed |
|---|---|---|
| M06 | 130+ individual stock trades of $1,000+ in first 14 months, ~43rd of 538 members by volume (top ~8%), incl. Visa/JPMorgan within a month of taking office ↳ Fiduciary appearance-of-impropriety, active personal trading while legislating | No STOCK Act violation or finding charged, weighed as appearance-concern, not a finding |
| M11 | Same heavy individual-equity trading volume while holding a federal seat with nonpublic-information access ↳ Office-adjacent appearance-of-conflict | Family-business wealth (Sardinia Ready Mix, $5M-$25M) is pre/non-office and NOT penalized; only the trading appearance is scored |
| M07 | No documented instance of breaking with his own side at political cost in first term ↳ Active call-out duty unmet on the evidence | Very short record; absence of evidence, not a documented refusal |
| M13 | Characterized the office swastika flag as an 'optical illusion,' disputed by staffers of other targeted offices who said it was plainly visible ↳ Single self-serving characterization | Outside-actor incident he otherwise condemned; not a sustained falsehood pattern |
The Four Pillars, worthy to be followed?
A separate axis from the 14 measures. The measures ask did their conduct meet the standard; the Pillars ask is this someone worthy to be elevated and followed at all. The two can diverge, when they do, the divergence is the finding.
| # | Pillar | Score | Why |
|---|---|---|---|
| I | Trust & Loyalty
| 6 | why?Attributes: Selfless Service, Steadiness, Loyalty. Perfect first-term voting attendance (0 missed of 553)
shows reliable institutional presence. No documented courage-at-cost moment yet, and no documented collapse
or self-interest beyond the trading appearance. Honest middle for a thin record.
|
| II | Aspiration & Integrity
| 5 | why?Attributes: Conviction, Authenticity, Self-Reflection. The heavy personal stock-trading appearance and the
"optical illusion" characterization are minor drags toward the Consistency/Integrity opposites. No affirmative
self-correction or owned-failure moment on record to offset. Slightly below middle.
|
| III | Protection & Influence
| 6 | why?Attributes: Protection, Stewardship, Accountability. Led a bipartisan constituent-infrastructure letter; no
documented exploitation of power against rivals. The trading volume is a Stewardship/appearance drag captured
in the measures. Honest middle.
|
| IV | Legacy & Virtue
| 5 | why?Attributes: Integrity, Justice, Love of Truth. Too early for a durable legacy read; the record carries a real
fiduciary-appearance asterisk (trading volume) that tempers the virtue read. Slightly below middle, provisional.
|
| TOTAL: Weak | 22/40 |
Total 22/40, Adequate-leaning, and explicitly provisional. The pillars sit at honest middles because the record is short: no extraordinary character evidence to elevate, and no Severity-class conduct to sink it.
What the Four Pillars are & the questions behind each →
In their own words
“a vile and deeply inappropriate symbol”
Condemning an altered American flag bearing a swastika displayed via a staffer's Zoom background in his Cannon office; multiple GOP offices were targeted by an outside actor, and Taylor requested a Capitol Police investigation · NBC News / The Hill / PBS NewsHour · ACCOUNTABILITY · cite
“Bipartisan letter urging a feasibility study for an I-73 corridor from Toledo to Chesapeake, Ohio.”
Led a cross-aisle letter to the Secretary of Transportation on regional infrastructure connectivity for southern Ohio · QuiverQuant press-release aggregation · CIVIC · cite
Full personnel file
1. Identity
David James Taylor (born November 16, 1969). U.S. Representative for Ohio's 2nd congressional district since January 3, 2025 (119th Congress). Republican. Born in Ohio; B.A. Miami University (1992); J.D. University of Dayton School of Law (1996). Former part-time assistant prosecutor, Clermont County; later President of the family business, Sardinia Ready Mix (Brown County). Won the open OH-2 seat in 2024 after Rep. Brad Wenstrup's retirement, defeating Democrat Samantha Meadows. Running for re-election in 2026.
2. Voting / Legislative Profile
Freshman member of the 119th Congress. Missed 0 of 553 roll-call votes (0.0% absence) through May 2026. Sponsored legislation touching agriculture, healthcare, and postal-facility designations; led a bipartisan I-73 corridor letter to DOT. No Lugar Bipartisan Index or settled DW-NOMINATE placement yet given the short tenure. The grade is conduct-only and provisional; policy positions are not scored in either direction.
3. Constitutional Moments
None of process-subversion class. Taylor was sworn in January 3, 2025, he was not in office for the December 2020 Texas v. Pennsylvania amicus (which he therefore could not have signed) or the January 6, 2021 certification, so neither is attributable to him. No documented attempt to use legal-on-its-face power to defeat a constitutional purpose appears on the present record.
4. Rhetoric & Discourse Profile
Limited public-rhetoric record for a freshman. The most visible instance, condemning the swastika flag placed in his office by an outside actor as "a vile and deeply inappropriate symbol", was measured. The contested note is his characterization of the symbol as an "optical illusion," disputed by staffers of other targeted offices. No documented dehumanizing or enemy-making pattern. Honest middle.
5. Fiduciary Profile
Family-business wealth (Sardinia Ready Mix, disclosed at $5M-$25M, with $1M+ pre-office income) is pre/non-office and is NOT penalized under the wealth-exclusion rule. The genuine fiduciary-appearance concern is volume: 130+ individual stock trades of $1,000+ in his first 14 months, ranking ~top 8% of Congress by trading volume, including financial-sector names within a month of taking office. No STOCK Act violation is charged, so this is a weighed appearance-of-conflict, not a finding, but active personal equity trading while legislating is the office-adjacent conduct M06/M11 are designed to flag.
6. Severity-Class Conduct
No documented Severity-class conduct under any of the eight criteria. Crucially, Taylor was seated in January 2025 and could not have signed the December 2020 Texas v. Pennsylvania amicus (Criterion 8), that vector is cleared by timeline. No documented sustained enemy-making or incitement pattern (Criterion 10). Flag count: zero. The grade is foreclosed by no capping flag; support turns on the composite and the honest trading drag.
7. What The Framework Says
A short, conduct-clean first-term record with one real asterisk. Taylor clears every Severity criterion, the Texas v. PA amicus is timeline-impossible for him, and no enemy-making pattern appears. Perfect voting attendance and an early bipartisan infrastructure letter are modest positives. The honest drag is fiduciary: an unusually heavy volume of personal stock trading for a freshman, creating a live appearance-of-conflict that the standard records even absent any charge. The swastika-flag episode is weighed as an outside-actor appearance event he condemned, not conduct attributable to him. Adequate-leaning and explicitly provisional given how little record exists.
8. Sources & Where To Look Deeper
Tier 1 (primary): Congress.gov member profile (119th) · House Clerk member profile
Tier 2: GovTrack voting/attendance · Signal Ohio, stock-trading reporting · NBC News, swastika-flag incident
Research links: Congress.gov member profile · Ballotpedia · GovTrack · House.gov official site · Wikipedia
Scores derive from the fixed Constitutional Weight Schedule. The bar does not move. Conduct, not party.