U.S. Rep. David Scott Dies At 80, Ending Georgia Tenure And 13th-Term Campaign

U.S. Rep. David Scott, a Georgia Democrat, died at age 80, his office said in a statement Wednesday, ending a more than two-decade tenure in the House and closing out a campaign for what multiple outlets described as his 13th term.

NBC News reported that Scott “made history as the first Black chairman of the House Agriculture Committee,” and said his office announced his death Wednesday.

AP News

USA Today said Scott died on April 22, a day after he cast a vote on the House floor, and it noted that House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries and Speaker Mike Johnson confirmed his death.

AP News reported that Scott was seeking his 13th term in Congress and that he was the first Black chairman of the House Agriculture Committee, while Axios said he served “for more than 20 years” and was the top Democrat on the House Agriculture Committee from 2021 to 2025.

Fox News said Rep. Virginia Foxx presided over the House on Wednesday afternoon and formally announced Scott’s death to the chamber, with Foxx saying, “The chair announces to the House that, in light of the passing of the gentleman from Georgia, Mr. David Scott, the whole number of the house is 430.”

CNN said Scott’s death was announced Wednesday on the House floor and that he represented Georgia’s 13th Congressional District.

Several outlets also tied the timing of his last actions to the Capitol, with NBC News saying Scott voted on the floor “as recently as Tuesday afternoon, according to the clerk’s records,” and The New York Times saying he was casting votes at the Capitol “as recently as Tuesday.”

Across the reports, Scott’s death arrived after years of health concerns and political friction over whether he should step aside.

NBC News said Scott “had in recent years faced questions about his health,” and it cited Politico reporting that “people close to Scott felt he slowed noticeably in recent years,” while also describing an incident in which Scott lashed out at a photographer taking a photo of him being pushed in a wheelchair, yelling, “Who gave you the right to take my picture, asshole?”

CNN

Axios said his health was “a growing concern for colleagues in recent years,” and that he was “ousted from his committee leadership role after the 2024 election.”

The Washington Post reported that after reelection, colleagues voted Scott out as the top Democrat on the House Agriculture Committee “due to various health issues that led to absences,” and it said his office did not immediately provide a cause of death.

The Guardian said Scott’s health had been an open question in recent years and that he “had not spoken on the floor of the House of Representatives in two years,” while also noting he was ranking member of the House agriculture committee.

The New York Times described how his declining influence and health prompted scrutiny within his party, saying members “voted him out of a leadership position on the committee he had once helmed,” and it added that he appeared at the Georgia State Capitol last month to file paperwork to seek a 13th term, being wheeled into the building by an aide.

Politico said Scott faced criticism for seeking reelection in 2024 even as declining health imperiled his ability to negotiate a $1.5 trillion farm bill, and it also said he was seeking reelection to his Atlanta-area district later this year.

Even with those concerns, AP News reported Scott had dismissed pressure to retire, quoting him in 2024: “Thank God I’m in good health, moving and doing the people’s work,” and it added that his wife and campaign adviser Alfredia Scott said, “When the congressman decides to leave, he won’t be pushed out.”

In the hours after Scott’s death, House and Senate figures delivered condolences that emphasized his role on agriculture and his long service to Georgia.

NBC News quoted House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries saying, “Congressman Scott’s passing is deeply sad,” and it also included Jeffries’s description that Scott “was a trailblazer who served the district that he represented admirably, rose up from humble beginnings to become the first African American ever to chair the House [Agriculture] Committee.”

USA Today reported that Jeffries and Speaker Mike Johnson confirmed Scott’s death, and it added that Rep. Gregory Meeks called Scott a friend and said he was “going to be missed.”

AP News said Scott’s death came during the Congressional Black Caucus’ weekly luncheon on Capitol Hill, and it reported that the Black Caucus’ chair Rep. Yvette Clarke told lawmakers at the outset of the meeting, according to a person who insisted on anonymity to discuss a private conversation.

The Washington Post quoted Rep. Katherine Clark calling Scott “was a stalwart champion for working families and farmers, in his beloved Georgia and across the country,” and it quoted her further that “Under his leadership, Democrats fought to strengthen our agricultural communities, reduce hunger, and bring the American Dream within reach of everyone.”

CNN reported that Speaker Mike Johnson wrote on X, “We are all deeply saddened by the news of Rep. David Scott’s passing. For more than two decades, David faithfully served the people of Georgia’s 13th Congressional District and spent the majority of his life in service to others.”

The Guardian and NBC News both quoted Atlanta Mayor Andre Dickens describing Scott as “a tireless advocate for the people he served,” and NBC News included Dickens’s line that “For decades, he fought for Georgia farmers, advocated for our veterans and ensured his constituents were supported at the street level with job and health fairs.”

In addition, Axios included a statement from Sen. Jon Ossoff saying, “The State of Georgia is a better place thanks to the service of Congressman Scott,” and it quoted primary challenger Everton Blair saying Scott “answered the call to serve the people of Georgia's 13th Congressional District with dedication and conviction.”

Scott’s death also immediately affected the arithmetic of the House, with outlets reporting slightly different tallies and vacancy counts.

NBC News said his death “brings the party breakdown in the House to 217 Republicans, 212 Democrats and one independent — Rep. Kevin Kiley, who caucuses with Republicans,” and it described the House as having a razor-thin majority.

NBC News

USA Today reported that Republicans still had a razor-thin majority, listing “217 GOP lawmakers, 212 Democrats, one independent and five vacancies,” and it said Scott’s passing would further shrink Democrats’ voting members.

The Washington Post said, “With Scott’s death, Democrats now hold 212 seats and Republicans hold 217,” and it noted “The chamber also includes a former Republican who is now an independent.”

Politico reported that Scott’s death leaves Congress at “218 Republicans and 212 Democrats, with five vacancies,” and it said Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp “will have 10 days to call a special election to fill the vacancy in the deep blue seat.”

NBC News provided the legal timeline, saying “Under Georgia election law, the governor must declare a special election within 10 days of a vacancy, and the special election must be at least 30 days after that declaration.”

Fox News said Scott was the “8th member of the House to die in less than two years,” and it described the chamber as widening Republicans’ narrow majority.

Axios said Scott was the “fifth member to die in office this congressional session, and the fourth Democrat,” and it described him as facing a “large field of primary challengers.”

AP News said Scott’s death “slightly widens Republicans’ narrow House majority going into the thick of this midterm election year,” and it reported that “The GOP began the current Congress with a 220-215 advantage, but the margin has fluctuated with resignations and deaths.”

Multiple outlets traced Scott’s background and the policy work that defined his influence, especially through the House Agriculture Committee.

NBC News said Scott was “first elected to Congress, representing a district near Atlanta, in 2002,” and it described him as “the first Black chairman of the House Committee on Agriculture,” later replaced as committee’s top Democrat by Rep. Angie Craig, D-Minn., in 2024.

The Guardian

AP News added biographical detail, saying Scott was born in rural Aynor, South Carolina, on June 27, 1945, and it reported that he graduated from Florida A&M University and earned an MBA from the University of Pennsylvania’s Wharton School in 1969.

The New York Times said he served nearly three decades in the state legislature before being elected to Congress, and it described his district as including “southwest Atlanta suburbs” and stretching into less populous counties.

CNN said Scott became the first African American to chair the House Agriculture Committee in 2020, when Democrats controlled the chamber, and it quoted Scott’s statement at the time that he was “honored.”

AP News said Scott secured “$80 million for historically Black land-grant schools as part of the 2018 Farm Bill,” with the money steered to agriculture-related scholarships at 19 campuses.

Fox News said Scott helped shape “the next generation of agricultural leaders through his fierce advocacy for the 1980’s Scholarship Program at historically Black colleges and universities,” and it quoted Angie Craig calling him “a strong voice for Georgia’s farmers, hungry veterans and young people.”

NBC News also highlighted his influence over “billions of dollars of farm subsidies, food stamps and school lunches,” and it included a quote from Jim Clyburn saying, “It’s basically everything that we do,” and listing “the WIC program, housing programs, energy programs.”

The Guardian added that Scott was at times a “blue dog” moderate Democrat and described his earlier support for a constitutional amendment to ban same-sex marriage, which he later repudiated, while also saying he supported tax cuts during the George W Bush administration.

Finally, NBC News tied his personal connections to sports, saying his brother-in-law was baseball legend Hank Aaron, who played for the Atlanta Braves, and that his grandson is the NFL running back Kimani Vidal.