Bobby Scott (politician)

Early life, education, and law career

Scott was born in Washington, D.C. and grew up in Newport News, Virginia. He is of African American and Filipino American (maternal grandfather) descent. His father Dr. Charles Waldo Scott (1916–93) was a pioneering African-American surgeon and his mother Mae Hamlin-Scott (1920-2010), a graduate in chemistry from the University of Michigan, was an educator who taught science in the Newport News public schools.

Scott graduated from Harvard College with an A.B. in government and Boston College Law School with a Juris Doctor. He is a member of Alpha Phi Alpha fraternity.

Scott is a former member of the National Guard and Army Reserve. He was a lawyer in private practice from 1973 to 1991.

Virginia legislature

Scott was elected to the Virginia House of Delegates as a Democrat in 1977 and he was elected to the Senate of Virginia in 1982. While in the Virginia legislature, he worked for greater access to health care for the poor and children, an increased minimum wage, and greater job training. Scott also authored legislation that provides tax credits to business that provide donations to serving local communities in preventing crime or increasing social service delivery.

Elections

Scott first ran for Congress in 1986 in the 1st district, which included his home in Newport News. He lost to Republican incumbent U.S. Congressman Herb Bateman 56%-44%.

In 1992, the Department of Justice directed the Virginia legislature to draw a black-majority district after the 1990 census. The legislature responded by shifting most of the black residents of Hampton Roads and Richmond into a newly created 3rd District. Scott won a three-way Democratic primary with 67% of the vote, which was tantamount to election in this heavily Democratic district. In the general election, he defeated Republican Dan Jenkins 79%-21%.

During this time period, he won re-election every two years with at least 76% of the vote, except in 2004. That year, he was challenged by Republican Winsome Sears, a former State Delegate. He won with 69% of the vote, the lowest winning percentage of his career. In 1994, Scott won 79.44% of the vote, defeating Republican Thomas E. Ward. In 1996, he won 82.12% of the vote, defeating Republican Eisle G. Holland. in 1998, he won 75.97% of the vote, defeating Independent Robert S. Barnett. He ran unopposed in 2000, 2002, 2006, and 2008.

Scott was challenged by Republican Chuck Smith, a former JAG. Scott defeated him 70%-27%, the second worst performance of his career.

After redistricting, Scott's district was made even more safe. In 2008, President Barack Obama had carried the district with 76% of the vote; he won the new district with 78%. Scott faced Air Force officer Dean Longo. He easily won an 11th term with 81.26% of the vote.

Scott joined President Obama in kicking off his campaign at Virginia Commonwealth University. The focus of the rally was largely on Obama's timeline for leaving the Middle East.

Tenure

Scott is the first African American Representative from Virginia since Reconstruction. Also, having a maternal grandfather of Filipino ancestry gives Scott the distinction of being the first American of Filipino descent to serve as a voting member of Congress. Scott's congressional district is the only one with a majority black population in Virginia. The district was created in 1992 and has remained the most Democratic district in Virginia.

Scott's annual Labor Day picnic, generally held at his mother's residence in Newport News, is a major campaign stop for statewide and federal candidates in Virginia.

On November 7, 2009, Scott voted for the Affordable Health Care for America Act (HR 3962).

Scott has voted progressively in the House of Representatives. He has supported increases in the minimum wage and has worked to eliminate anti-gay bias in the workplace. In 2010, Scott co-sponsored the "Lee-Scott bill" with Barbara Lee to make it easier on individuals who had been on unemployment for 99 weeks without finding work. In regards to the bill, Lee said that "it is important that we put in place a safety net for those still looking for work. We cannot and will not allow our fellow Americans to fall by the wayside. Congressman Scott and I plan to continue to push for passage of this legislation because it is simply the right thing to do."

Scott was an outspoken opponent of the Bush administration. He opposed the Patriot Act explaining that officials may abuse the power by promoting anti-terrorist security and develop unfair "racial profiling". In 2002 Scott voted nay on the Iraq war resolution and did not support any of the Bush Doctrine in reference to the Iraq war.

Legislation sponsored

Scott introduced the Death in Custody Reporting Act of 2013 (H.R. 1447; 113th Congress) on April 9, 2013. The bill would require the United States Department of Justice to collect data from U.S. states and territories about the deaths of prisoners in their custody. States and territories would face monetary penalties for noncompliance. The bill would also require federal agencies to report on the deaths of prionsers in their custody.

Committee assignments

Family

Rep. Scott hails from a highly educated and socially prominent family. His father, Dr. Charles Waldo Scott, himself the son of a physician, was educated at Howard University (M.Sc.) in Washington, D.C. and then graduated cum laude from the University of Michigan Medical School. He went on to serve as the chief surgeon of two Newport News hospitals in the course of which he was mentor to many young doctors. In the segregated South during a time when African-Americans labored under the iniquitous system of Jim Crow laws, Dr. Scott was a tireless advocate of racial, social and educational equality and in 1952 became the first African-American appointed to the Newport News school board in the 20th century.

His mother Mae, the daughter of a Filipino-American pharmacist and his African-American wife, was born in 1920 and during an era of segregated sports was twice national high-school tennis champion at Palmer Memorial Institute. She was educated at Virginia State College and Fisk University graduating in 1940 with a B.A. in chemistry and biology and proceeded to the University of Michigan and Western Reserve University, where she earned an M.S. in public health education. She went on to teach science in Newport News public high schools for 22 years until retiring in 1981.

His siblings include Jon L. Scott, DDS, an orthodontist, the late Charles Waldo Scott, Jr. (1945-2013), and Valerie S. Price (wife of Newport News Mayor Dr. McKinley L. Price, DDS).

Caucuses

Possible U.S. Senate appointment

On July 22, 2016, then-presumptive Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton announced that she had chosen Tim Kaine, a U.S. Senator from Virginia, as her running mate. Had the Clinton-Kaine ticket won the general election, Kaine would have resigned his Senate seat, and Democratic Governor of Virginia Terry McAuliffe would have been able to appoint a replacement to serve until a 2017 special election. In August 2016, former Democratic governor Douglas Wilder stated that he would want McAuliffe to appoint Scott to the seat, stating that it "would be good for the commonwealth, good for the Democratic Party, of which Bobby has been most supportive, and great for our nation." On November 8, however, Clinton and Kaine lost the presidency to Donald Trump and Mike Pence.

Electoral history

*Write-in and minor candidate notes: In 1986, write-ins received 9 votes.