Austin Scott (politician)

Austin Scott
Member of the U.S. House of Representatives
from Georgia's 8th district
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

Caucus Memberships

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

  1. ↑ "Austin Scott – Biography".
  2. ↑ "Representative Austin Scott". Legis.state.ga.us. Retrieved 2010-08-22.
  3. ↑ "2010 Election results". Politico. 2010-11-05. Retrieved 2011-08-09.
  4. ↑ "Walk of Georgia"
  5. ↑ "Scott plans 1,000-mile 'Walk Around Georgia'". Tifton Gazette. 2009-06-24. Retrieved 2010-08-22.
  6. ↑ "Austin Scott Completes Walk of Georgia". SWGA Politics. 2009-08-29. Retrieved 2010-08-22.
  7. ↑ Badertscher, Nancy (2010-03-23). "Abolish Ga. 400 toll, candidate's bill proposes". ajc.com. Retrieved 2010-08-22.
  8. ↑ Tharpe, Jim (2010-03-26). "Republican lawmaker wants state to 'direct' Baker to sue over health care". ajc.com. Retrieved 2010-08-22.
  9. ↑ http://americansforprosperity.org/noclimatetax//wp-content/uploads/2010/06/scott-austin.pdf
  10. ↑ "GA – Election Results". Retrieved November 17, 2012.
  11. ↑ http://www.ourcampaigns.com/RaceDetail.html?RaceID=801578
  12. ↑ "Representative Austin Scott". Legis.state.ga.us. Retrieved 2010-08-22.
  13. ↑ Staff (5 January 2011). "Ten Southern Baptists sworn in as new reps.". Baptist Press. Archived from the original on 25 December 2014. Retrieved 25 December 2014.
  14. ↑ "Austin Scott on the Issues". On the Issues. On the Issues. 2016. Retrieved 23 June 2016.

External links

United States House of Representatives
Preceded by
Jim Marshall		 Member of the U.S. House of Representatives
from Georgia's 8th congressional district
January 3, 2011–present 		Succeeded by
Incumbent
United States order of precedence (ceremonial)
Preceded by
David Schweikert
R-Arizona		 United States Representatives by seniority
282nd 		Succeeded by
Terri Sewell
D-Alabama
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