Georgia U.S. Rep. David Scott has died

(Atlanta Journal-Constitution) Georgia Democratic U.S. Rep. David Scott, the first Black man to chair the U.S. House Agriculture Committee, has died after nearly 50 years of elected office. He was 80 years old.

His death was confirmed by his office. Scott had filed to run for a 13th term in office this year but was facing strong challenges from well-funded Democrats in the primary.

“He has a really powerful legacy here in Georgia from the time he served in the state Senate. And he chaired one of the most powerful committees in DC,” said state Sen. Emmanuel Jones, a Democrat who had filed to run against Scott in the primary next month. “He had such deep roots in the community. That’s why he was so fierce and no one could beat him. He was a dear friend.”

Scott was born in South Carolina and attended schools in Florida, but he spent his adult life in Georgia where he and his wife owned a billboard advertising company. In the 1970s, he began a career in politics that spanned five decades. The Democrat served in the Georgia House and Senate for a combined 28 years before being elected to Congress in 2002, where he eventually became one of the last remaining centrist Democrats known as “Blue Dogs.”

https://www.ajc.com/politics/2026/04/georgia-us-rep-david-scott-has-died/