Congressman dies at 80 after nearly 50 years in elected office

Veteran Democratic Rep. David Scott (D-GA) has died after nearly 50 years of elected office.

Scott, who had filed paperwork to run for a 13th term in office, died at age 80 years old and was the first Black congressman to chair the U.S. House Agriculture Committee, reported the Atlanta Journal-Constitution.

“David Scott was a trailblazer who served district that he represented admirably, rose up from humble beginnings to become the first African-American ever to chair the House Ag Committee," said House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries. “He cared about the people that he represented. He was fiercely committed to getting things done for the people of the great state of Georgia and he’ll be deeply missed.”

The congressman had been facing challenges in the May 19 primary from well-funded Democrats who argued that Scott's age made him less effective in office.

Scott's political career began in 1974 with a successful campaign for the Georgia House of Representatives, where he served until his election to the state Senate in 1982, and he was first elected in 2003 to the newlyestablished