‘Exhibit A for term limits’: Some Democrats question Rep. David Scott’s reelection bid

The top Democrat on the House Agriculture Committee is gearing up for a reelection campaign some of his fellow Democrats had hoped he wouldn’t pursue.

A growing number of colleagues have expressed alarm about Rep. David Scott’s (D-Ga.) health and what they describe as his declining capacity to negotiate the $1.5 trillion farm bill, which is currently stalled in Congress. So his announcement that he’ll seek a 12th term representing his heavily Democratic Atlanta-area district was a surprise to many members, who had assumed the 78-year-old would retire at the end of the year.

Even in private meetings, Scott frequently reads from a script and at times has trouble carrying out substantive conversations in real time about much of the food and agriculture policy that he oversees, according to more than a dozen lawmakers, congressional staff, lobbyists and agriculture advocates who have spoken with Scott in recent months and were granted anonymity to speak candidly about their concerns. Some lawmakers who’ve served with Scott for years note he’s long been well-liked by members in both parties, but they also describe him as much sharper a decade ago.

“I imagine just about every person is in favor of new leadership, and if there is anyone who says otherwise, then they're not telling the truth,” said one Democratic lawmaker.

Scott’s bid sets up a major clash over who will lead Democrats on the Agriculture panel next Congress. Notably, he is also facing stiffer competition in his upcoming primary compared to past years. And, House Democratic leadership does not appear to be ruling out a possible shakeup on the committee next Congress.

“David Scott is Exhibit A for term limits,” the Democratic lawmaker added. “He was a respected, talented member who has become diminished. And it's painful for people to watch.”

Scott is just one in a long line of prominent lawmakers who have sought to hold onto their seats even as age and health problems prompted calls for their retirement. He made history as the first Black chairman of the committee in 2021, but has since faced several behind-the-scenes attempts to replace him. Last year, House Democrats also created a separate task force headed by Homeland Security ranking member Bennie Thompson (D-Miss.) to conduct farm bill listening sessions across the country, a job that traditionally would have been left to Scott.

The policy Scott is responsible for impacts hundreds of millions of U.S. farmers and families on a daily basis, including low-income Americans who rely on nutrition benefits, which hard-right Republicans are intent on slashing.

Scott’s committee office, personal office and campaign did not respond to requests for comment, and he declined to comment when a POLITICO reporter asked him about his reelection bid. After POLITICO reported in 2022 about lawmakers’ concerns with Scott’s ability to lead the Agriculture Committee, he ordered his staff not to respond to any inquiries from POLITICO, according to two people familiar with the matter.

House Democratic leadership aides note Scott was uncontested in his bid for ranking member this Congress. Rank-and-file members point out the only way to replace him is if Democratic leaders intervene — something they’ve declined to do in recent years.

A spokesperson for House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries did not explicitly rule out such a move when asked about Scott’s position in the next Congress, however. “Leader Jeffries looks forward to his continued work with Ranking Member David Scott on reauthorization of the Farm Bill,” Jeffries spokesperson Christiana Stephenson said in a statement to POLITICO. “He will leave the palace intrigue and coup attempts to the Extreme MAGA Republican side of the aisle.”

In some private meetings, Scott at times has appeared to briefly embrace ideas that go against his party’s long-held policy positions, only to be corrected by staff, according to four of the people who’ve spoken with Scott in recent months. Scott also frequently leaves Agriculture Committee hearings early and never returns, which is unusual for a ranking member.

Former Scott aides note that he is carefully guarded by staff, and that his personal chief of staff, Catherine Harney, exerts what they view as an unusual amount of control over the workings of the Agriculture Committee minority. Some Democratic members of the committee have become frustrated that they’re often only allowed to speak to Harney about key panel issues, rather than Scott himself, according to lawmakers and former aides.

Some Democrats are privately considering a different way forward for their House Agriculture Committee leadership next Congress, should Scott win another term this fall.

“We’ll see who throws their hat in the ring,” said a second Democratic lawmaker.

Other House Democrats, including some who aren’t on the committee, say they’d be surprised if there was a shake-up on the committee next Congress.

“I’ve found him to be a very reliable leader,” Rep. Marcy Kaptur (D-Ohio.) said of Scott.

Georgia’s 13th district is a safe Democratic seat and previously covered Atlanta’s southwest quadrant, including suburbs and rural stretches. Scott, a pro-business, moderate Democrat, has successfully held off primary challengers in the past and won his last general reelection race by more than 60 points. But he is facing stiffer competition and dramatically different terrain this cycle, which will lessen the power of his incumbency.

Scott’s redrawn district is part of a new congressional map passed by Georgia’s GOP-majority state legislature and approved by a federal judge late last year. It’s still safely Democratic and majority-Black. But the territory has changed significantly since his 2022 reelection, covering more of the eastern side of Atlanta’s exurban reaches, while lopping off a significant rural chunk of Scott’s previous district.

Scott has several grueling months ahead as he tries to canvass his new district and build support among a swath of new voters, while also wrangling the politically tenuous farm bill talks on Capitol Hill.

Army veteran Marcus Flowers launched a primary challenge to Scott earlier this month, after raising more than $16 million in his unsuccessful 2022 bid to unseat GOP Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene. Octavia Coleman, an epidemiologist and political newcomer, is also running in the primary.

Flowers, who is also a moderate Democrat, “is not going to challenge Scott on ideological lines,” said Andra Gillespie, an associate professor of political science at Emory University. It’s more likely, Gillespie added, that Flowers “is going to challenge him on fitness and age.”

In an interview, Flowers indicated he wasn’t planning to directly take on Scott's age, but said he represented a “new generation” of leaders. Flowers also said that he was more eager than some other Georgia Democrats to speak up about the threat of authoritarianism and the potential of Donald Trump returning to the presidency next year, arguing there’s a perception that Democrats “got kid gloves on when it comes to these MAGA Republicans.”

“It is about preserving democracy for generations. It's about alerting people to the dangers that lie ahead of us, especially in the Black community,” Flowers said, adding he would campaign “day and night” for President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris’ reelection if he wins the primary.

Political watchers say it’s still possible other Democrats could jump into the race to challenge Scott ahead of the May 21 primary, including state representatives from his new district.

Still, a third Democratic lawmaker described Scott as a "staple in this institution," and said they were sure he has a strong coalition behind him to power his re-election bid. The lawmaker added there’s a “tendency to underestimate the power that is wielded by those that really are the institution.”

In a sign he’s digging in for a reelection fight, Scott is stepping up his campaign trail appearances and his reelect committee has socked away a war chest of $747,000, significantly more than in previous years, while spending nearly $20,000 on promotional materials like coffee mugs and screen printing in recent months, according to his latest spending report. Scott has also recently shelled out more than $35,000 to Molly Allen Associates, a consulting firm that helps elect moderate and conservative-leaning Democrats.

As POLITICO has reported, Scott has defied a series of private efforts by some of his colleagues to replace him as the top Democrat on the Agriculture Committee panel. The Georgia Democrat told POLITICO in January of 2022 that efforts to oust him were the actions of “a bunch of wannabe chairmen” who are taking advantage of his physical health challenges in order to stage a mutiny.

“Obviously I'm not retiring. I'm looking forward to 2022,” Scott said in that interview with POLITICO. “I'm as strong and vibrant as a roaring lion.”

Jeffries last July denied that Scott’s health had anything to do with Democrats creating the new agricultural task force. And, Jeffries was unequivocal that Scott remained “the top Democrat related to these issues.” But amid rank-and-file concerns about the trajectory of House Democrats’ farm bill negotiations under Scott last fall, House Democratic leaders quickly assembled a private meeting with committee Democrats to check in with their members and “steady the situation,” as one House Agriculture Democrat described.

Democrats have generally praised Scott’s recent steps to push for their party’s key priorities in the massive farm bill, following the meeting blow-up last fall. Though, that’s helped to fuel the current impasse, with Scott declining to go back to the negotiating table with Republicans.

For now, some House Democrats are privately arguing they need to stick together to push back on GOP plans for the farm bill.

“We just need to make the best of it for now,” said a fourth Democratic lawmaker. “He’s doing the best he can.”

Marissa Martinez contributed to this report.