Breaking: Dems Lose Another Seat After Longtime Congressman Dies At Age 80

Twelve-term House Democrat David Scott of Georgia has died, according to reports Wednesday afternoon.

The 80-year-old lawmaker had been campaigning for a 13th term in Congress despite declining health and mounting calls from his own side of the aisle to retire.

Newsmax covered the response from party leadership:

“The news of Congressman Scott’s passing is deeply sad,” House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries told reporters.

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“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,” Jeffries said. “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 was not especially active on the campaign trail in 2026. But had been dismissive of pressure to retire.

“Thank God I’m in good health, moving, and doing the people’s work,” Scott said in 2024.

Scott’s death slightly widens Republicans’ narrow House majority going into the thick of this midterm election year.

Tributes soon began to pour in for a lawmaker seen by political allies and rivals alike as an influential force during his nearly quarter-century run on Capitol Hill:

U.S. Rep. David Scott, a Georgia Democrat and the first Black chairman of the House Agriculture Committee, has died. He was 80.

Read more: https://t.co/wTkqm8LWeR pic.twitter.com/4nIeAXqYZ8

— WGN TV News (@WGNNews) April 22, 2026

Sad news. David Scott served for decades and leaves behind a long record in public service. Thoughts with his family and constituents.

— Mawazo Ngwena (@Nmawazo) April 22, 2026

But a number of commenters noted that this situation is precisely why his fellow Democrats had been pushing for his retirement:

.@RepThompson on two occasions expressed his desire to die in office to me while I was his communications director. @TheDemocrats cannot afford to keep dismissing age & health concerns of their voters as “ageist.”

Egos are putting the party and the country in more peril.

— TJ Adams-Falconer (@tommyjusa) April 22, 2026

Nothing screams TERM LIMITS like old people dying in congress.

This is an embarrassing situation that our leaders are wearing depends and using scooters. Our last 2 presidents fall into this category.

Term limits on Congress and repeal Buckley vs Valeo#UnfollowBobo #SEStink

— BirdieKingBobo (@BirdieKingBobo) April 22, 2026

Democrats are particularly vulnerable after a string of deaths and resignations, including one of the latter earlier this week, per USA Today:

Rep. Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick, a Democrat who represents southeastern Florida, became the third member of Congress to resign in just a week rather than risk expulsion.

Her announcement fits into a broader moral reckoning that has gripped Capitol Hill after accusations of sexual misconduct pushed out two other lawmakers, Reps. Eric Swalwell and Tony Gonzales, on April 13.

Cherfilus-McCormick’s departure came just minutes before a hearing in the House Ethics Committee, which concluded last week after a two-year inquiry into her conduct that the congresswoman had committed more than two dozen ethics violations.

In a statement, she derided the panel for conducting what she called a “witch hunt” and denied any wrongdoing.

Here’s some additional breaking coverage of Scott’s death:

Any thoughts?