Rest in Peace to Another Member of the Gerontocracy

Death is sad, but what’s even sadder is clinging to any perceived semblance of power forever and ever until death inevitably yanks you off this physical realm and instead of spending your final moments hypothetically reflecting on your life and achievements and loved ones, you’re surrounded by piles of manila folders, yelling into the abyss about an intern fucking something up. 

Anyway. Another Democratic lawmaker has died in office. Rep. David Scott of Georgia was 80 years old and voted on the House floor as recently as Tuesday. The cause of death is unclear, though his staff called it “unexpected.” Scott’s health issues have been a source of controversy over the last few years. Politico reported in 2022 that those around him felt he was slowing down, and in 2024, he yelled at a reporter for taking a picture of him in his wheelchair, “Who gave you the right to take my picture, asshole?”

Scott was the first Black chairman of the House Agriculture Committee and had a long, devoted career in Congress, also serving on the Congressional Black Caucus, the New Democrat Coalition, the Congressional Equality Caucus, among others. “David Scott was a trailblazer who served the district that he served admirably,”  House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.) told reporters on Wednesday. “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.” 

He represented a district near Atlanta since 2002 and was running for re-election for a 13th term. NBC News previously reported that in the first quarter of 2026, he was out-fundraised by four of his opponents. 

“A lot of people associate him with Atlanta, but David was born and raised on a little tobacco farm in South Carolina and got an opportunity because of his parents being domestic workers, the people that they worked for helped him go to Wharton Business School,” former House Majority Whip Jim Clyburn (D-S.C.) told NBC News. “And he never forgot that.”

His death leaves the House with 217 Republicans, 212 Democrats, and one Independent. Under Georgia law, the governor must call a special election within 10 days, which must then be held within 30 days of the announcement. 

We’re currently living (a generous descriptor) under the third-oldest Congress in U.S. history. More than a dozen House lawmakers are 80 or older and currently running for re-election. I’ll never understand this—if I’m still working at 79, please stage an intervention, not support my re-election bid.

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