Complex sentence: He never distanced himself overly from Republican politics between his time in Congress and his 1920 nomination for governor; although the state as a whole was predominantly Democratic, his native East Tennessee was equally ardently Republican.
Split into simpler sentences: He never distanced himself from Republican politics between his time in Congress and his 1920 nomination for governor. Although the state as a whole was predominantly Democratic, Taylor's native East Tennessee was equally ardently Republican.