Portsmouth Del. Don Scott elected to lead Virginia’s House Democrats
Democrats in Virginia’s House of Delegates have new leadership.
Del. Don Scott of Portsmouth was elected as the House’s new minority leader on Wednesday.
“Democrats are united and I’m excited about the opportunity to help Virginians who are out here struggling right now to make ends meet,” Scott told The Virginian-Pilot. “I’m excited to get to work and to hold the Republicans accountable.”
Scott led the push to oust former minority leader Del. Eileen Filler-Corn of Fairfax, from the position in April. He was selected to replace her by a secret ballot vote during a closed meeting Wednesday afternoon. Del. Charniele Herring of Alexandria and Del. Rip Sullivan of Fairfax also were vying for the position.
House Democrats also selected Del. Dan Helmer, D-Fairfax, as the vice chair of outreach.
Scott said he hopes to steer political conversations away from the “cultural wars.”
“We want to talk about the issues that are affecting everyday Virginians,” he said.
Scott, an attorney and former U.S. Navy officer, was first elected to the House of Delegates in 2019. He serves on the House Committees of Finance, Courts of Justice and Commerce and Energy.
The delegate garnered attention — praise from Democrats and condemnation from Republicans — after he rebuked Gov. Glenn Youngkin during a fiery speech from the House floor in January. Scott said Youngkin used racial issues to divide Virginia and did not act like a Christian.
In a Wednesday statement, Scott vowed to “never forget the people who have been counted out by those in power.”
“They are constituents, my clients, and my community,” he said. “So, when [Gov.] Youngkin vetoes good bills out of spite or turns our public schools into ideological battlegrounds for his own partisan gain, I will always speak truth to power, and I won’t back down.”
Scott said there are crucial issues at stake, including gun safety, abortion rights, criminal justice reform and the rising cost of housing and health care.
State Sen. Louise Lucas, D-Portsmouth, congratulated Scott on Twitter.
“I know Don better than most as we both represent Portsmouth and House Dems are getting a leader of integrity, grit and smarts that will lead them back into the majority,” she wrote.
Del. Angelia Williams Graves, D-Norfolk, also took to Twitter, writing that the “geographical diversity” of the two new leaders would be good for the caucus and the Commonwealth.
Filler-Corn previously said it was the honor of her life to serve.
“I thank the people of Virginia and my colleagues in the House of Delegates for allowing me to serve as the first woman and first person of Jewish faith to serve as Speaker in the 403-year history of our Commonwealth,” Filler-Corn wrote on Twitter in April. “I was proud of all that we accomplished.”
Katie King, katie.king@virginiamedia.com
