David Scott (Georgia politician)

Scott was born in Aynor, South Carolina, on June 27, 1945, but was raised initially by maternal grandparents in South Carolina and later by his paternal grandparents in Scranton, Pennsylvania before reuniting with his parents in Scarsdale, New York at age 11. His family relocated to Daytona Beach, Florida when he was 13 and attended Campbell High School. He received a bachelor's degree from Florida A&M University and a Master of Business Administration from the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania. ==Early career==

In 1978, Scott founded Dayn-Mark Advertising (from the names of his two daughters, Dayna and Marcie), which places billboards and other forms of advertising in the Atlanta area. Scott's wife, Alfredia, now heads the business. In May 2007, it was reported that the business owed more than $150,000 in back taxes and penalties. Scott's campaigns paid the company more than $500,000 from 2002 to 2010, including expenses for office rent, printing, T-shirts, and other services. He also paid his wife, two daughters, and son-in-law tens of thousands of dollars for campaign work such as fund raising and canvassing. ==U.S. House of Representatives==

When Georgia picked up an additional district (GA-13) as a result of the 2000 census, Scott entered a five-way Democratic primary in 2002 for the seat, winning with 53.8% of the vote. He then defeated Republican Clay Cox in the general election with 59% of the vote. He never faced another contest that close, and was subsequently re-elected eleven times. running unopposed in 2004, 2014, and 2016. In 2007, the political watchdog group Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington named Scott one of the 25 most corrupt members of Congress. During his first two terms, Scott represented a district that twisted and wound its way through parts of nine counties and was barely contiguous in some areas. In a mid-decade redistricting held after the 2004 elections, the district was redrawn to be somewhat more compact, with its population centered in Clayton, Douglas, and Fulton Counties. Redistricting after the 2010 census gave the district all of Douglas County and pushed it further into Clayton. On March 2, 2026, Scott qualified for the 2026 election. Committee assignments For the 119th Congress: • Committee on Agriculture • Subcommittee on Commodity Markets, Digital Assets, and Rural Development • Subcommittee on General Farm Commodities, Risk Management, and Credit • Committee on Financial Services • Subcommittee on Capital Markets • Subcommittee on Financial Institutions Caucus memberships • Black Maternal Health Caucus • Congressional Equality Caucus • New Democrat Coalition • U.S.-Japan Caucus • Congressional Coalition on Adoption • Rare Disease Caucus • Congressional Caucus on Turkey and Turkish Americans • Congressional Taiwan Caucus ==Political positions==

Scott was ranked as the 18th-most bipartisan member of the U.S. House of Representatives during the 114th Congress (and the second most bipartisan member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Georgia) in the Bipartisan Index created by the Lugar Center and the McCourt School of Public Policy, which ranks members of the United States Congress by their degree of bipartisanship by measuring how often each member's bills attract co-sponsors from the opposite party and each member co-sponsors bills by members of the opposite party. Affordable Care Act Scott voted for the Affordable Care Act (Obamacare). Scott also said the doctor had not called Scott's office to set up a meeting about health care; this was not verified. Fiscal policy Although Scott voted against the first version of the 2008 bailout, he backed the final version "after being assured the legislation would aid homeowners facing foreclosures. Scott crafted an added provision dedicating $14 billion to aid those homeowners." However, in May 2013 thinkprogress.org reported receiving an email from a spokesman of Scott saying, "Congressman Scott fully supports marriage equality." The Human Rights Campaign's profile of Scott also contains this sentence as his statement under "position on marriage equality". Iran deal Scott opposed the nuclear deal with Iran, saying, "It's a good deal for Iran, for Russia, China and probably Hezbollah, but is it not, definitely not a good deal for Israel or for the United States or our allies – especially Jordan and Saudi Arabia". Yemeni civil war Scott was one of only five House Democrats who voted to allow the U.S. to continue selling arms to Saudi Arabia and to support the Saudi-led intervention in Yemen. His vote came just one day after the Senate, on December 13, 2018, invoked the War Powers Resolution for the first time since its enactment in 1973 to assert congressional authority and move to end U.S. military involvement. ==Personal life==

Scott married Alfredia Aaron, the sister of Baseball Hall of Fame member Hank Aaron, in 1969. The marriage produced two daughters, Dayna and Marcye. Scott's grandson is Los Angeles Chargers running back Kimani Vidal. – a swastika was found spray-painted on a sign outside his district office. Decline in health and death Politico reported in 2022 that Scott's speech was increasingly halting, he had trouble at times focusing on a topic, and seemed to be forgetting prior conversations. As of 2024, Scott often read from a script and had trouble carrying out conversations about food and agricultural policy that he oversaw, causing alarm among his Democratic colleagues in Congress. One lawmaker remarked "I haven't met a member [of Congress] who isn't concerned" with Scott's ability to carry out his duties as then-Ranking Member of the House Agriculture Committee. Party leadership subsequently removed Scott from that position. In late 2024, Scott screamed at a Politico reporter who photographed him arriving at the Capitol in a wheelchair. Scott faced criticism from fellow Democrats due to his age; he would have been 81 years old at the beginning of the next Congress, as well as the result of an open records request filed by Jasmine Clark for his voting record that revealed he had not cast a single vote in the last six election cycles, including the 2024 United States presidential election. Scott died at his home in Washington, D.C. on April 22, 2026, at the age of 80, one day after he cast his final vote in the House. Several major political figures and elected officials paid tributes to Scott following his death. Democratic House minority leader Hakeem Jeffries remarked "David Scott was a trailblazer who served a district that he represented admirably, rose up from humble beginnings to become the first African American ever to chair the House [Agriculture] Committee." Atlanta mayor Andre Dickens said Scott was "one of Georgia’s longest-serving voices in Washington D.C. and a tireless advocate for the people he served." However, Scott was also criticized after his death for not retiring earlier. As Jim Newell wrote in Slate, "We don’t want to be uncharitable toward the recently deceased, and we should note that he logged decades of impressive years before succumbing to decline. But there's no other explanation for how he served the past few years essentially incapacitated—and now leaves Democrats down another vote in the House—beyond selfishness." ==See also==