Contributed Photo: Safford City Councilor Chris Taylor announced Monday that he is suspending his bid for Congress to seek treatment for substance abuse disorder.
By Jon Johnson
SAFFORD – Safford City Councilor Chris Taylor announced Monday that he is suspending his campaign for the Republican nomination for U.S. House of Representatives CD-1 to seek treatment for substance abuse disorder. The following is his statement.
“Today, I have suspended my campaign for the U.S. House of Representatives and am seeking treatment for substance abuse disorder,” Taylor wrote to the Gila Herald. “I will fully cooperate with local authorities on any matters arising from my recent relapse and overdose. Please respect the privacy of my wife and children as we deal with this situation.
I’m not going to hide from this. I’m not ashamed of what happened. I with to sincerely apologize to the amazing people who have supported me. I don’t know what went wrong. I recently relapsed after having so many solid years in sobriety. I have to figure out where I went wrong. Thankfully, I have every resource available to me through the Veterans Affairs Administration and I have the strongest support system one could dream of. My family stands behind me 100 percent and I feel the love and prayers of our amazing Gila Valley community. I haven’t been able to respond to each of you yet, but I have been overwhelmed by the amount of people who have reached out to me in love and understanding.
The only thing I can do is face this head on in complete humility and put one foot in front of the other so that I can get the help needed to be the father and husband that my family deserves. I’m human, and I have never pretended to be anything but. I know that through the grace of my loving savior, Jesus Christ, I will be restored back to full health and bounce back from this and be stronger than ever.”
Taylor suffered a heroin overdose Wednesday, Feb. 19, and was found unresponsive at his home by his wife, who reportedly performed chest compressions until paramedics arrived and revived Taylor with a dose of Narcan. Taylor said he left detox Monday and that he will be entering a residential treatment facility at the Phoenix VA. Taylor previously served two tours of combat duty for the Army in Afghanistan and overcame opiate addiction upon his release from service.
“I’ve been here before and know the way out,” he said. “What I have to figure out is why I relapsed after being so solid in recovery for nearly seven years. I’m not ashamed and won’t hide from this. I want to stand tall and admit that I need help again to recover.”
After beating his addiction the first time, Taylor founded Desert Eagle Addiction Recovery, a nonprofit organization that was dedicated to helping individuals – especially fellow combat veterans – suffering from drug addiction. Taylor ran the nonprofit as executive director for four years. In 2016, Taylor ran for the Safford City Council and received the most votes of the four various candidates for the three open seats. In May 2019, he announced his candidacy for the Republican nomination for U.S. Rep. CD-1, currently held by Tom O’Halleran (D).
“My life had changed so much,” Taylor said. “I was certain all of this was way behind me. But, obviously, I was blindsided. I’m lucky to be alive. If it wasn’t for the quick actions of my amazing wife and the hero first responders I wouldn’t be alive. I want to thank them from the bottom of my heart.”
