Bobby Scott Bio
Robert Cortez “Bobby” Scott (born April 30, 1947) is an American politician and lawyer serving as the U.S. representative for Virginia’s 3rd congressional district, a position he has held since 1993. A member of the Democratic Party, he has been the dean of Virginia’s congressional delegation since 2019 and is the first Filipino American voting member of Congress. He chaired the House Education and Labor Committee from 2019 to 2023 and has served as its ranking member since 2023. His district covers most of the majority-Black precincts of Hampton Roads, including the cities of Norfolk, Newport News, Hampton, and Portsmouth.
Born in Washington, D.C., and raised in Newport News, Virginia, Scott is of African American and Filipino descent. He is a graduate of Harvard College and Boston College Law School, and he practiced law in Newport News before entering public service. He is also the first African American representative from Virginia since Reconstruction.
Early Life and Background
Robert Cortez Scott was born in Washington, D.C., on April 30, 1947, and grew up in Newport News, Virginia. He is of African American and Filipino descent, with a maternal grandfather of Filipino ancestry. His father, Charles Waldo Scott, was a pioneering African American surgeon and in 1952 became the first African American appointed to the Newport News school board in the 20th century. His mother, Mae Hamlin-Scott, was a University of Michigan graduate in chemistry and an educator who taught science in the Newport News public schools. Scott’s sister, Valerie Scott Price, was married to former Newport News mayor McKinley L. Price until her death in 2025; their daughter, state delegate Marcia Price, is Scott’s niece.
Scott attended Groton School, graduating in 1965, and went on to earn a Bachelor of Arts in government from Harvard College in 1969. He is a member of the Alpha Phi Alpha fraternity. He later earned his Juris Doctor from Boston College Law School in 1973. After completing his education, he served in the Massachusetts Army National Guard from 1970 to 1973 and in the Army Reserve from 1974 to 1976. Scott is an Episcopalian.
Path to US Politics
Following law school, Robert Cortez Scott returned to Newport News, where he practiced law in private practice from 1973 to 1991. He entered elective politics in 1977, when he was elected to the Virginia House of Delegates as a Democrat. In the Virginia legislature, he focused on expanding health care access for the poor and children, raising the minimum wage, and increasing job training. He also authored legislation providing tax credits to businesses that contributed to local crime prevention and social service programs.
Scott was elected to the Senate of Virginia in 1982, after a census-based reapportionment changed district numbers. He first ran for Congress in 1986 in the 1st district, which included his home in Newport News, but lost to Republican incumbent Herb Bateman, 56% to 44%. He returned to private life for several years before a 1992 redistricting cycle created an opening. The Department of Justice directed the Virginia legislature to draw a Black-majority district after the 1990 census, and Scott entered the race for the newly created 3rd district.
Bobby Scott Career
Early Career (1977-1992)
Scott began his political career in 1977 as a member of the Virginia House of Delegates, where he built a record on health care access, the minimum wage, and job training. He moved to the Senate of Virginia in 1982, gaining additional legislative experience before his first run for Congress in 1986. After losing that race to Republican incumbent Herb Bateman, Scott returned to his law practice in Newport News, continuing his involvement in community and Democratic Party affairs while preparing for another opportunity.
His early work in the Virginia legislature established him as a progressive voice on economic and social issues. He authored legislation offering tax credits to businesses that supported local crime prevention and social services, reflecting his focus on community-level policy solutions. These years helped him develop the relationships and policy expertise that would later support his successful congressional campaign.
Breakthrough (1993-2010)
In 1992, after redistricting created a new Black-majority 3rd congressional district in Virginia, Scott won a three-way Democratic primary with 67% of the vote, which was tantamount to election in the heavily Democratic district. He defeated Republican Dan Jenkins 79% to 21% in the general election, beginning a long tenure in the U.S. House of Representatives. He was reelected every two years with at least 76% of the vote, except in 2004, when he was challenged by Republican Winsome Sears and won with 69%.
During this period, Scott developed a progressive voting record. He voted for the Affordable Health Care for America Act in November 2009, supported increases in the minimum wage, and worked to eliminate anti-gay bias in the workplace. In 2010, he co-sponsored the “Lee-Scott bill” with Barbara Lee to help individuals who had been on unemployment for 99 weeks. He was an outspoken opponent of the Bush administration, voting against the Patriot Act and the 2002 Iraq war resolution.
Scott also built a record on civil rights and criminal justice. He voted in favor of the Matthew Shepard and James Byrd Jr. Hate Crimes Prevention Act in 2009 and the Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell Repeal Act in 2010. He introduced the Death in Custody Reporting Act of 2013, which would require the Department of Justice to collect data on deaths of prisoners in state and federal custody, with monetary penalties for noncompliance.
Democratic Era (2011-Present)
After redistricting, Scott’s district was redrawn to be even safer for Democrats, picking up all of Portsmouth and Newport News, as well as Petersburg. He won his 11th term with 81.26% of the vote in 2012 and continued to win reelection comfortably, including running unopposed in several cycles. In 2015, court-ordered redistricting reconfigured the 3rd district, but it remained no less Democratic than before.
In 2019, Scott became chair of the House Education and Labor Committee during the 116th Congress, earning an “A” grade from the nonpartisan Lugar Center’s Congressional Oversight Hearing Index. He became the dean of Virginia’s congressional delegation that same year, after the retirement of Bob Goodlatte. He has served as ranking member on the committee since 2023, and he voted with President Joe Biden’s stated position 100% of the time during the 117th Congress, according to a FiveThirtyEight analysis. Scott’s annual Labor Day picnic, traditionally held at his mother’s residence in Newport News, has become a major campaign stop for statewide and federal candidates in Virginia.
Notable Events and Milestones
Scott’s most significant milestone came in 1992, when he won Virginia’s newly created 3rd congressional district and became the first African American representative from Virginia since Reconstruction. His maternal Filipino ancestry later made him the first Filipino American voting member of Congress. In December 2017, a former congressional fellow alleged sexual harassment; Scott strongly denied the claim, and the case was mutually dismissed in 2021. In 2023, he was one of two Democrats who voted against the expulsion of former New York representative George Santos.
Bobby Scott Family
Family Background and Political Lineage
Bobby Scott comes from a family with a strong record of public service and community leadership. His father, Charles Waldo Scott, was a pioneering African American surgeon and the first African American appointed to the Newport News school board in the 20th century. His mother, Mae Hamlin-Scott, was a University of Michigan-trained chemist and educator who taught science in the Newport News public schools. His sister, Valerie Scott Price, was married to former Newport News mayor McKinley L. Price until her death in 2025.
Personal Life
Scott resides in Newport News, Virginia, which is part of the district he represents. He is an Episcopalian. His niece, Marcia Price, serves as a state delegate in Virginia, continuing the family’s tradition of public service in the state.