Rep. David Scott, the longtime Georgia Democrat who represented a wide swath of the Atlanta area in Congress, has died at 80, his office confirmed Wednesday. His public career stretched nearly five decades, from the Georgia General Assembly to the U.S. House, and he had already filed paperwork to seek a 13th term this year. Known for job fairs, community health events and relentless constituent casework, Scott remained a constant presence in metro Atlanta politics even as questions about his age and health followed him into recent campaigns.
As reported by The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, Scott began his elected service in the 1970s and went on to log a combined 28 years in the Georgia House and Senate before winning a congressional seat in 2002. The Atlanta Journal-Constitution notes that Scott and his wife operated a local billboard advertising company, and that his long track record of constituent services helped him hang on through repeated primary challenges in a district that was never short on ambitious rivals.
His official congressional website highlights his work on agriculture and financial services and lists a March 2026 request for nearly $32 million in district project funding, underscoring his focus on local infrastructure and health services. According to his congressional biography, Scott was born in Aynor, South Carolina, raised in Florida, earned an MBA from Wharton and moved to Atlanta in the 1970s, where he launched an advertising firm before jumping into state politics.
National leaders quickly weighed in on Scott’s passing. “David Scott was a trailblazer who served the district that he represented admirably,” House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries said, the Associated Press reports. The Associated Press notes that Scott was the first Black member to chair the House Agriculture Committee and most recently served as the panel’s ranking Democrat, and that his death slightly widens the Republican majority in the House at a critical point in the midterm calendar.
Local reaction arrived from across the political spectrum, including from those who had been gearing up to run against him. Dr. Everton Blair, who had been preparing a primary challenge to Scott, released a statement saying, “Today, politics fades and humanity remains,” as quoted by FOX 5 Atlanta. FOX 5 Atlanta reports that the information about Scott’s passing came via his congressional website.
What Happens Next
Under the Constitution, the state’s governor is responsible for calling a special election to fill a vacant House seat. Article I requires the state’s “executive authority” to issue a writ of election to fill vacancies, according to the Constitution Annotated. A Congressional Research Service summary on Congress.gov notes that special elections have varied in timing but on average take roughly 120 days from vacancy to election, meaning Georgia officials will set a schedule once the vacancy is formally certified.
Cause of death and funeral arrangements were not immediately disclosed by Scott’s office, and staff said they would share more information as it becomes available. Colleagues and community leaders are expected to mark the congressman’s decades of service to Atlanta and Georgia in the days ahead, as the 13th District braces for a contested special election and a compressed campaign calendar, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reports.
