Georgia: Thirteenth District

Rep. David Scott (D)

David Scott (D) Elected 2002, 3d term up
Born:	06-27-1946, Aynor, SC
Home:	Atlanta
Education:	FL A&M U., B.A. 1967, U. of PA, M.B.A. 1969
Religion:	Baptist
Marital Status:	married (Alfredia)
Elected  Office:	GA House of Reps., 1974-82; GA Senate, 1982-2002.
Professional Career:	Founder and Pres., Dayn-Mark Advertising, 1979-present.
DC Office	417 CHOB, 20515 202-225-2939 Fax: 202-225-4628 Website: house.gov/davidscott
State Offices	Jonesboro:770-210-5073; Smyrna:770-432-5405;
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Many great landmarks of the civil rights movements, the headquarters of major civil rights organizations and the campuses of six historically black colleges are all in the central city of Atlanta. The city’s cohesive and talented black community, more than any other, provided the leadership and inspiration for the civil rights movement that changed America so much for the better. In the 1960s, Atlanta’s blacks were clustered in ghetto neighborhoods on the south and west side of the city; the north side of Atlanta and the suburbs in every direction were heavily or entirely white. Today, a long generation after the great days of the civil rights movement, blacks have moved outward from Atlanta in almost all directions in one of the nation’s fastest-growing metro areas. The central city of Atlanta has an increasing white percentage, as whites move into affluent Buckhead and the thriving communities of Midtown Atlanta, while the crime-ridden ghettoes in south and west Atlanta lose population. But this is a story not of failure but of success: members of metro Atlanta’s thriving black middle class have been moving elsewhere in the metro area—to south DeKalb County to the east, to Clayton County directly south of the city and Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport, to southwest Fulton County outside Atlanta, to eastern and southern Cobb and Douglas Counties to the west.

The 13th Congressional District of Georgia, newly created in the 2001 redistricting, is a collection of areas into which Atlanta-area African-Americans have been moving or are likely to be moving in the next 10 years—Sweet Auburn marching south and west to the suburbs. Its nucleus is Clayton County, heavily dependent on the airport and almost all of which is in the district: a county that voted for George Wallace in 1968 but now has the highest black percentage of any metro Atlanta county. Its small slice of Fulton County includes the headquarters of Home Depot. Prior to the 2005 redistricting, the original boundaries could rightfully be depicted as the most geographically grotesque district in the country. The new shape is much more coherent. The biggest change was the addition of Cobb County; now Cobb and Clayton Counties each contain about one-third of the district population and the rest are parceled out across DeKalb, Douglas, Fulton and Henry Counties. Even with all of the changes, the 13th remained 41% black and heavily Democratic.

The congressman from the 13th District is David Scott, a Democrat first elected in 2002. Born in rural South Carolina, he grew up around the country—in Scranton, Pennsylvania, Scarsdale, New York, and Daytona Beach, Florida. He graduated from Florida A&M and the Wharton School of Finance. He was elected to the Georgia House in 1974 and to the Georgia Senate in 1982; there he chaired the Rules Committee. Since 1979 he has owned the Dayn-Mark Advertising Company, which creates and places radio, television and print advertising; the firm is now operated by his wife and two daughters.

In 2002 Scott ran for the newly-created 13th District seat, though he lived near Midtown Atlanta. It was obvious that the primary would be decisive in this heavily Democratic district. Four other Democrats ran; the best known was former state party chairman David Worley, who nearly defeated Newt Gingrich in 1990. Scott, however, was far more familiar to most voters, after more than a quarter-century in the legislature. His brother-in-law Hank Aaron, baseball’s true home run king and an Atlanta icon, co-chaired his campaign. Scott brought his advertising expertise to the campaign, plastering the Interstates with eye-catching billboards—a clever idea in a district that closely tracked Atlanta’s Perimeter. His chief competitors, Worley and state Senator Greg Hecht of Clayton County, were both white, and ran ads against each other; racial appeals seem to have played little part in the campaign. Scott won the primary without a runoff, with 54% of the vote and at least 50% in every county but one. The son of a minister and grandson of a deacon, Scott credited God and said that “a divine hand worked with us.” He won the general election 60%-40%—not a huge margin, but a decisive one.

In the House, Scott’s voting record was far more centrist than that of an Atlanta liberal. His business background and nearly three decades’ experience in representing multiracial, multiethnic constituencies were unique credentials to bring to the Congressional Black Caucus and the House. Scott joined the Blue Dogs group of moderate Democrats, and showed no reluctance about going his own way. In May 2003, he was one of seven House Democrats to vote for final passage of the Bush tax cut. In June 2004, he was one of 11 Democrats who angered their party leaders by joining Republicans on a procedural vote in support of the buyout of tobacco farmers, which Scott helped to write before it reached the House floor. He split with most of his party by voting for the constitutional amendment to ban same-sex marriages. On the Financial Services Committee, Scott criticized predatory lenders that exploit would-be homeowners in poor communities but he was reluctant to pass new laws to eliminate favorable interest deals. He spoke out strongly for extension of the Voting Rights Act and against claims by Georgia Republicans that it had achieved its goals. At home, he hosted annual job and health fairs for constituents.

In 2006, Scott faced a primary challenge from Donzella James, who served 10 years in the state senate and criticized Scott for living outside the district. Scott won 67%-33% and took every county, including 74%-26% in Clayton, which cast the largest vote. In the general, he was opposed by first-time candidate Deborah Honeycutt, a family physician who surprisingly raised $1.3 million, but had little name recognition and unsurprisingly lost 69%-31%.

Committees

• Agriculture (8th of 25 D)
  General Farm Commodities & Risk Management; Conservation, Credit, Energy & Research.
• Financial Services (19th of 37 D)
  Capital Markets, Insurance & Government Sponsored Enterprises; Financial Institutions & Consumer Credit.
• Foreign Affairs (22d of 27 D)
  Terrorism, Nonproliferation & Trade; Middle East & South Asia.

Presidential Vote

District Demographics (More Info)

• Cook Partisan Voting Index: D +10
• Area size: 577 square miles
• Urban Population: 96.6%
• Rural Population: 3.4%
• Population 2000: 629,727
• Population 2005 (est):
• Median Income: $46,477
• Poverty Status: 8.8%
• Military Veterans: 13.7%
• Race/Ethnic Origin: 46.7% White; 41.0% Black; 2.8% Asian; 0.2% Native Am.; 0.0% Hawaiian; 1.4% Two+ races; 0.2% Other; 7.6% Hispanic Origin;
• Ancestry: 8.7% USA%; 5.8% Irish%; 5.1% English%;
• Occupation: Blue collar 26.0%; White collar 60.7%; Gray collar 13.4%;