Taylor Campaign Workers Helped Put Shaun Brown on the Ballot as an Independent Candidate

Scott Taylor

According to documents filed with the FEC and the Virginia Department of Elections, at least four paid workers on Republican Congressman Scott Taylor’s campaign for reelection collected hundreds of signatures to put Shaun Brown on the ballot as an independent candidate in Virginia’s 2nd Congressional District election.

Brown ran against Taylor as a Democrat in 2016. She is on trial for fraud, and some believe her appearance on the ballot threatens to split the Democratic vote in a highly competitive race.

The four workers collected these signatures in the last days before Virginia’s primary election, which was also the deadline for Brown to submit the required signatures to state authorities. FEC documents show people with the same names and addresses were being paid by the Taylor campaign in this period. The payments were described as “payroll” or “campaign consulting – staff.” There appears to have been a fifth worker, affiliated with Republican causes and the Taylor campaign, who aided the effort.

Shaun Brown

WHRV producer Paul Bibeau uncovered this information while reviewing Shaun Brown’s campaign filings, which have become an issue in her trial.

WHRV reached out to the Taylor and Brown campaigns for comment Tuesday afternoon, and received the following response from Scott Weldon, spokesman for Taylor: “Unlike Elaine Luria and the Democrats in Washington, who de-legitimized the primary election process in this congressional district, many people here saw that a real injustice had been done against the 2016 2nd District Democrat nominee, Shaun Brown. Some people volunteered to fix this injustice.”

No comment had been received from the Brown campaign at the time of broadcast.

FEC documents detailing payments by Taylor campaign to workers:

CREEKMORE April 17 2018

CREEKMORE April 30 to May 16 2018

CREEKMORE June 1 to June 15 2018

GUILLOT June 15 2018

GUILLOT March 2 2018

GUILLOT June 1 2018

HORNUNG June 1 2018

HORNUNG June 15 to June 22 2018

MARCIANO June 1 2018

MARCIANO June 15 2018

MARCIANO May 18 2018





Selection of Brown ballot petition documents listing Taylor campaign workers:

2018-11-06 Brown Petitions 70-84_Redacted

2018-11-06 Brown Petitions 85-99_Redacted

2018-11-06 Brown Petitions 100-120_Redacted

2018-11-06 Brown Petitions 121-126_Redacted



All Brown ballot petition documents obtained by WHRO FOIA request:

2018-11-06 Brown Petitions 1-15 (all)_Redacted

2018-11-06 Brown Petitions 16-30 (all)_Redacted

2018-11-06 Brown Petitions 31-45 (all)_Redacted

2018-11-06 Brown Petitions 46-60 (all)_Redacted

2018-11-06 Brown Petitions 61-75 (61-69)_Redacted

2018-11-06 Brown Petitions 70-84_Redacted

2018-11-06 Brown Petitions 85-99_Redacted

2018-11-06 Brown Petitions 100-120_Redacted

2018-11-06 Brown Petitions 121-126_Redacted

2018-11-06 Brown Petitions 127-141_Redacted

2018-11-06 Brown Petitions 142-156_Redacted

2018-11-06 Brown Petitions 157-171_Redacted

2018-11-06 Brown Petitions 172-186_Redacted

2018-11-06 Brown Petitions 187-193_Redacted