Austin Scott (politician)

Austin Scott
Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Georgia's 8th district
Incumbent
Assumed office January 3, 2011
Preceded by	Jim Marshall
Member of the Georgia House of Representatives from the 153rd district
In office 2005–2011
Preceded by	Burke Day
Succeeded by	Tony McBrayer
Member of the Georgia House of Representatives from the 138th district
In office 2003–2005
Preceded by	Johnny Floyd
Succeeded by	Nikki T. Randall
Member of the Georgia House of Representatives from the 165th district
In office 1996–2003
Preceded by	Henry Bostick
Succeeded by	Al Williams
Personal details
Born	(1969-12-10) December 10, 1969 Augusta, Georgia
Political party	Republican
Spouse(s)	Vivien Scott
Residence	Tifton, Georgia
Alma mater	University of Georgia
Profession	Business, Insurance
Religion	Southern Baptist

James Austin Scott (born December 10, 1969) is an American politician who has been the U.S. Representative for Georgia's 8th congressional district since 2011. He is a member of the Republican Party.

Early life, education, and career

Scott's father, Dr. Jim Scott, is an orthopedic surgeon and his mother, Becky, is a teacher in the public school system. Scott graduated from the University of Georgia with a B.B.A. in Risk Management and Insurance. He also passed the Series 7 Exam.^[1]

Scott is president of The Southern Group, LLC and a partner in Lockett Station Group, LLC.^[2]

Georgia legislature

Representative Scott was first elected to the Georgia House of Representatives at the age of 26. He was the chairman of the Governmental Affairs Committee. He also served on the Appropriations, Rules, and Ways and Means Committee, where he was the chairman of the Public Policy Subcommittee. The District consists of Tift and Turner counties.

U.S. House of Representatives

2010 election

Austin Scott meets with members of the Carrollton, GA fire department on July 20, 2009 during the Walk of Georgia.

Scott challenged Democratic incumbent Jim Marshall for Georgia's eighth congressional district. He defeated Marshall in the general election on November 2, 2010, 53% to Marshall's 47%.^[3]

Scott originally planned to campaign for Governor of Georgia, announcing his campaign in January 2009. He made headlines for walking more than 1,000 miles around the state in his "Walk of Georgia",^[4] introducing a bill to abolish tolls on Georgia 400, and leading the charge in pressuring Georgia State Attorney General Thurbert Baker to file a lawsuit against the Federal government over the controversial health care reform bill passed in March 2010.^[5][6][7][8] In April 2010, Scott withdrew from the race for Governor to instead run for U.S. Congress.

In 2010 Scott signed a pledge sponsored by Americans for Prosperity promising to vote against any Global Warming legislation that would raise taxes.^[9]

2012 election

The Georgia General Assembly redrew the 8th after the 2010 census. Notably, most of Macon and surrounding Bibb County (except for a sliver in the north) were drawn into the neighboring 2nd District. Macon had been the heart of the 8th and its predecessors for more than a century. To make up for the loss of population, the General Assembly pushed the 8th all the way to the Florida border, adding Thomasville and most of Valdosta from the old 2nd. The old 8th already had a significant Republican lean, with a Cook Partisan Voting Index of R+10. However, the new 8th has a CPVI of R+15, making it the 11th most Republican district in the Eastern Time Zone and one of the most Republican districts in the country.

Scott was unopposed in both the primary and general elections.^[10]

2014 election

Scott was unopposed for a third term.

2016 election

In 2016, Scott faced a Democratic opponent for the first time since his initial run for the seat, from private investigator James Neal Harris. However, Scott turned back this challenge fairly easily, taking 67.6 percent of the vote and carrying every county in the district.^[11]

Committee assignments

• Committee on Agriculture
  • Subcommittee on General Farm Commodities and Risk Management
  • Subcommittee on Rural Development, Research, Biotechnology, and Foreign Agriculture
• Committee on Armed Services
  • Subcommittee on Military Personnel
  • Subcommittee on Readiness
  • Subcommittee on Strategic Forces
• Republican Study Committee

Caucus Memberships

• Congressional Cement Caucus

Personal life

Scott resides in Tifton with his wife, Vivien, and son, Wells. The Scotts are members of First Baptist Church of Tifton.^[12][13]

Memberships

National Association of Insurance and Financial Advisors
Coastal Plains Chapter of the American Red Cross
National Rifle Association

Awards

American Cancer Society's Outstanding Legislative Leadership Award (2003, 2004)
Georgia Association of Emergency Medical Services Star of Life Legislative Award (2007, 2008)

Political positions

Scott is an opponent of same-sex marriage and is in favor of a Federal Marriage Amendment. He voted no against the 2013 renewal of the Violence Against Women Act. He is opposed to abortion and believes that human life begins at conception. He is favor of capital punishment. He is against gun control. He is in favor of a Balanced budget amendment.^[14]

References

External links

• Congressman Austin Scott official U.S. House site
• Austin Scott for Congress
• Austin Scott at DMOZ
• Appearances on C-SPAN
• Biography at the Biographical Directory of the United States Congress
• Profile at Project Vote Smart
• Financial information (federal office) at the Federal Election Commission
• Legislation sponsored at The Library of Congress