Don Scott (Virginia politician)

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Don Scott
58th Speaker of the Virginia House of Delegates
Assumed office
January 10, 2024
Preceded byTodd Gilbert
Minority Leader of the Virginia House of Delegates
In office
June 1, 2022 – January 10, 2024
Preceded byEileen Filler-Corn
Succeeded byTodd Gilbert
Member of the Virginia House of Delegates
Assumed office
January 8, 2020
Preceded byMatthew James
Constituency80th District (2020–2024)
88th District (2024–present)
Personal details
Born (1965-03-05) March 5, 1965 (age 59)
Political partyDemocratic
SpouseMellanda Colson
Children1
EducationTexas A&M University (BA)
Louisiana State University (JD)
WebsiteOfficial website
Military service
Allegiance United States
Branch/service United States Navy
Years of service1986–1991

Don L. Scott, Jr. (born March 5, 1965) is an American lawyer and politician. A Democrat, he is a member of the Virginia House of Delegates, representing the 80th district. He was minority leader of the Virginia House of Delegates from 2022 to 2024. On January 10, 2024, he became Speaker of the Virginia House of Delegates. He is the first black speaker in Virginia's history.

Biography[edit]

Don Scott was born on March 5, 1965.[1] He was raised in Houston, Texas, by a single mother of six children.[2] Scott attended a magnet high school for aerodynamics before attending and graduating from Texas A&M University with a degree in agriculture.[3] Following his undergraduate education, Scott served as a naval officer until 1991 when he received an honorable discharge.[4] Following his time in the Navy, Scott obtained a JD from Louisiana State University Law School in 1994.[4][5]

In 1994, Scott was arrested on federal drug charges and served seven years in prison. Later, he acknowledged his mistakes, and said that the experience motivated him and showed him injustices of the legal system.[3] In 2002, after his release, Scott took an entry-level position at KRA Corporation, a workforce development company.[6] During his time at KRA, Scott relocated to Portsmouth, Virginia, and eventually became senior vice President at the firm.[3]

In 2015, Scott was admitted to the bar and opened his own firm, where he practiced criminal defense, family law, and civil cases.[3] In 2022, Scott joined Breit Biniazan Trial Lawyers as a partner.[6]

In 2021, Scott donated a kidney to his next-door neighbor, Virginia Circuit Court Judge Johnny E. Morrison.[7]

Political career[edit]

2019[edit]

Scott filed to run to represent the 80th district in the 2019 Virginia House of Delegates election after the resignation of Matthew James, who was appointed by Governor Ralph Northam to an executive position.[8] Scott was unopposed in the primaries, and in the general election defeated Republican James W. Evans and Independent Ryan Benton with 66.01% of the vote.[9]

2020[edit]

In March 2020, Scott endorsed former U.S. Vice President Joe Biden in the 2020 Democratic Primary. [10]

2021[edit]

Scott was unopposed in the primaries, and in the general election defeated Republican Deanna Stanton with 66.07% of the vote.[11]

2022[edit]

In the 2021 general elections, Virginia Democrats lost 7 seats and control of the House of Delegates. Along with fellow Delegates Dan Helmer and Sally Hudson, both of whom were also first elected in 2019, Scott led a vote of no confidence to remove former Speaker and party leader Eileen Filler-Corn.[12] However, the Democratic Delegates did not elect a new leader right away. The position was filled by Caucus Chair Charniele Herring, who sustained her own vote of no confidence, as acting leader until Scott was elected House Minority leader on June 1.[13]

2024[edit]

After Democrats won the majority in the 2023 Virginia House of Delegates election, Scott was nominated unanimously by his caucus to become Speaker of the Virginia House of Delegates, the first black speaker in Virginia's history.[14]

References[edit]

  1. ^ "Wishing House Democratic Leader Delegate @DonScott75 a Happy Birthday!!!". Twitter. Retrieved 2023-04-04.
  2. ^ Schneider, Gregory (June 12, 2022). "Troubled past charts unlikely rise to power for Virginia Democrat". The Washington Post. Archived from the original on April 2, 2023. Retrieved April 2, 2023.
  3. ^ a b c d Daugherty, Scott (November 23, 2018). "Before he was a prominent attorney in Portsmouth, Don Scott spent 7 years in federal prison". The Virginian-Pilot. Archived from the original on March 31, 2023. Retrieved April 2, 2023.
  4. ^ a b "Candidate Profile: Don Scott Jr. (80th District)". Wavy.com. October 1, 2019. Archived from the original on April 2, 2023.
  5. ^ "Get to know Don Scott, candidate for Virginia's 80th District". 23 October 2019.
  6. ^ a b "Don Scott - Breit Biniazan Trial Lawyers". www.bbtrial.com. Archived from the original on December 8, 2022. Retrieved 2023-04-02.
  7. ^ Fox, Andy (September 16, 2021). "Portsmouth delegate and judge forge a bond through a special gift: a kidney donation". Wavy. Retrieved 22 October 2022.
  8. ^ Albiges, Margie (May 3, 2019). "Portsmouth Del. Matthew James steps down to take state economic development post". Daily Press. Archived from the original on April 2, 2023. Retrieved 2023-04-02.
  9. ^ Times, The New York (2019-11-05). "2019 Virginia General Election Results". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Archived from the original on March 27, 2023. Retrieved 2023-04-02.
  10. ^ "Virginia House Majority Leader Charniele Herring and 30 Top Virginia Leaders Endorse Joe Biden".
  11. ^ "Virginia Election Results: November 2, 2021". The Virginia Public Access Project. Archived from the original on July 16, 2022. Retrieved 2023-04-02.
  12. ^ Rankin, Sarah; Lavoie, Denise (2022-04-27). "Virginia House Democrats vote to remove their leader". AP NEWS. Archived from the original on November 6, 2022. Retrieved 2023-04-02.
  13. ^ Wilson, Patrick (June 1, 2022). "Virginia House Democrats elect Del. Don Scott Jr. as leader". Richmond Times Dispatch. Archived from the original on March 7, 2023.
  14. ^ "Newly empowered Virginia Democrats nominate the state's first Black House speaker, Don Scott". AP News. 2023-11-11. Retrieved 2023-11-17.

External links[edit]

Virginia House of Delegates
Preceded by Member of the Virginia House of Delegates
from the 80th district
2020–2024 		Succeeded by
Preceded by Member of the Virginia House of Delegates
from the 88th district
2024–present 		Incumbent
Preceded by Minority Leader of the Virginia House of Delegates
2022–2024 		Succeeded by
Political offices
Preceded by Speaker of the Virginia House of Delegates
2024–present 		Incumbent
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