US Congressman David Scott, 80, dies after final House vote

The veteran lawmaker's death was confirmed a day after he cast his final vote in the US House of Representatives, News.Az reports, citing foreign media.

He was running for a 13th term in next month's primary election, having refused to bow out amid questions over his declining health. Scott became the first black chairman of the House's agriculture committee in 2020.

He is the fifth member of Congress to die in office since last year. His vacant seat hands Republicans in the lower chamber of Congress a narrow advantage as they campaign to defend a razor-thin majority ahead of November's midterm elections.

No cause of death has yet been disclosed for the Georgia lawmaker.

House minority leader Hakeem Jeffries paid tribute to him on Wednesday.

"David Scott was a trailblazer who served a district that he represented admirably, rose up from humble beginnings to become the first African American ever to chair the House Ag Committee," he 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."

He cast his final vote - a yea - on Tuesday for a bill on the construction of hydropower projects.

Scott, who was born in rural South Carolina in 1945, had been dismissive of retiring, saying in 2024 that he was "in good health, moving and doing the people's work".

His death is the latest to rock the House since last year, including Democratic congressmen Sylvester Turner of Texas, Raúl Grijalva of Arizona and Gerry Connolly of Virginia. Republican congressman Doug LaMalfa also died earlier this year.

The balance of power in the House now stands at 217 Republicans, 212 Democrats and one independent, who caucuses with Republicans.

Georgia's election law requires the state governor to declare a special election within 10 days of a seat vacancy. The election must be held at least 30 days after such a declaration.