David Scott, the Georgia Democrat and first Black chairman of the House Agriculture Committee, has died at age 80. The death of david scott was announced on Wednesday in Washington as lawmakers gathered on Capitol Hill, and it comes while he was seeking his 13th term in Congress.
Scott’s death closes a long political career that stretched from the Georgia General Assembly to the U. S. House. He had faced concerns in recent years tied to declining health and had remained in a contested primary fight at the time of his death.
Lawmakers react to the loss of david scott
House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries said the news was “deeply sad” and called Scott a trailblazer who rose from humble beginnings to become the first African American ever to chair the House Agriculture Committee. Jeffries said Scott cared about the district he represented and was “fiercely committed” to getting things done for Georgia.
The news reached members during the Congressional Black Caucus weekly luncheon on Capitol Hill. House Democratic lawmakers in the room were said to be shocked and saddened, including several who had served with him for decades.
A longtime voice on farm aid and food aid
Scott was once a leading Democratic voice on farm aid policy and food aid for consumers, and he was also a prominent member of the party’s moderate Blue Dog caucus. His Capitol Hill record included securing $80 million for historically Black land-grant schools as part of the 2018 Farm Bill.
His political path began in Atlanta after graduate school, where he opened an advertising business and started in politics as a staffer on Andrew Young’s 1972 congressional campaign. He later won election to the Georgia General Assembly in 1983 and spent two decades in the state House and Senate before going to Congress in 2002.
Health concerns and a contested race
In recent years, Scott faced criticism and concern over his declining health. He was not especially active on the campaign trail in 2026 and had become a symbol of aging Democratic leadership that younger critics on the left were targeting.
Still, he brushed aside calls to step aside. In 2024, Scott said, “Thank God I’m in good health, moving and doing the people’s work. ” His wife and campaign adviser, Alfredia Scott, said at the time that he would not be forced out and would leave only when he decided to bow out.
What happens next after david scott’s death
Scott’s death slightly widens Republicans’ narrow House majority at a time when the margin has already shifted because of resignations and deaths. He is the fourth House Democrat to die in office during this Congress, leaving a vacancy that will now shape the political fight in Georgia and on Capitol Hill around david scott’s seat.
