David Scott, a Georgia Democrat and the first Black chairman of the House Agriculture Committee, has died at 80, the Associated Press reported. He was seeking his 13th term in Congress amid criticism from within his own party and concerns raised in recent years about his health. U.S. congressional colleagues and Democratic leaders marked the loss as Congress headed deeper into a midterm-election year.
House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries praised Scott on Wednesday, calling the news “deeply sad.” Jeffries said Scott “was a trailblazer who served the district that he represented admirably,” and he described Scott’s path “from humble beginnings” to becoming the committee’s first African American chair. Jeffries added that Scott “cared about the people that he represented,” and that he was “fiercely committed to getting things done for the people of the great state of Georgia,” saying he would be “deeply missed.” MSI previously reported that Eliot Engel died at 79.
Democrats on Capitol Hill learned of Scott’s death during a moment of reflection inside the Congressional Black Caucus. The caucus’ chair, Rep. Yvette Clarke, told lawmakers at the outset of its weekly luncheon, according to the AP report. The White House also lowered its flags to half-staff after Scott’s death.
Scott’s passing comes with immediate political consequences in the House. The AP reported that his death widens Republicans’ narrow majority going into the “thick of this midterm election year,” after the GOP began the current Congress with a 220-215 advantage. The report also said Scott was the fourth House Democrat to die in office during this Congress.
Scott had remained in the race for another term even as he faced a primary challenge in 2024 and another at the time of his death. The AP reported that he had been mostly absent from the campaign trail in 2024 and 2026, and he became an example for younger members of the left who questioned the aging of Democratic leadership. When he qualified for another term in March, Scott told reporters that he was in good health and “moving and doing the people’s work,” the AP report said.
Scott’s wife and campaign adviser Alfredia Scott also addressed questions about his political future, saying in 2024 that “When the congressman decides to leave, he won’t be pushed out,” and adding, “He will bow out,” according to the AP. The report said Georgia officials will schedule a special election to fill the remainder of Scott’s term, which could overlap with elections for the next two-year term.
Born David Albert Scott in rural Aynor, South Carolina, on June 27, 1945, he spent part of his childhood in Scranton, Pennsylvania, and had stints in New York and Florida. The AP reported that he graduated from Florida A&M University and later earned an MBA from the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania in 1969. The report said Scott settled in Atlanta, opened an advertising business, and entered politics as a staffer on Andrew Young’s 1972 congressional campaign; Young later became Atlanta’s mayor and U.S. ambassador to the United Nations under President Jimmy Carter.
In Georgia politics, Scott’s rise included support from Young and from baseball legend Henry “Hank” Aaron, who was described by the AP as the older brother of Scott’s wife. The AP reported that Scott became one of a pioneering generation of Black state lawmakers in Georgia, winning election to the state House in 1974 and the state Senate in 1982 before being elected to Congress.
Once he described himself as a moderate “Blue Dog,” Scott sponsored a law in the state Senate that mandated a moment of silent school prayer, the AP reported. Over time, he moved toward a more mainstream liberal profile, the report said, and he served for decades while living outside his district after maps were redrawn. The AP said Scott focused on constituent service, including hosting job and health fairs.
On major legislation, the AP said Scott secured $80 million for historically Black land-grant schools as part of the 2018 Farm Bill, with the money directed toward agriculture-related scholarships at 19 campuses. The report also said he helped author housing and mortgage aid measures and pushed for better health care and benefits for veterans and their families. For foreign policy, the AP reported that Scott advocated for NATO and post-World War II American alliances.
In 2024, the AP reported, Scott’s fellow Democrats removed him from his position as ranking minority member on the Agriculture Committee amid concerns about his age and health. Scott is survived by Alfredia Scott, the couple’s two adult daughters, and grandchildren, the AP said.