On April 22, 2026, Rep. David Scott (D-Ga.) died, leaving Georgia's 13th Congressional District vacant. 

The vacancy now brings the Republican majority in the U.S. House of Representatives to 217 to 212, with five vacancies. Additionally, Rep. Kevin Kiley (I-Calif.) is an independent who caucuses with Republicans.

Scott is the fifth member of the U.S. Congress to have died while serving in the 119th Congress:

• Rep. Sylvester Turner (D-Texas) died on March 5, 2025. Following his death, Texas' 18th Congressional District was vacant for 334 days.
• Rep. Raúl Grijalva (D-Ariz.) died on March 13, 2025. Following his death, Arizona's 7th Congressional District was vacant for 244 days.
• Rep. Gerald Connolly (D-Va.) died on May 21, 2025. Following his death, Virginia's 11th Congressional District was vacant for 112 days.
• Rep. Doug LaMalfa (R-Calif.) died on Jan. 5, 2026. As of April 22, 2026, California's 1st Congressional District has been vacant for 107 days.

Scott's electoral history in Georgia's 13th Congressional District

In 2002, Scott ran for his first term in the U.S. House in Georgia's 13th Congressional District. In the general election, he defeated Clay Cox (R) 60% to 40%.

Scott won by a median of 43.4 percentage points in his eight subsequent re-election bids in which he ran with major party opposition. He ran unopposed in the 2004, 2014, and 2016 general elections. Scott's largest margin of victory (MOV) in the district was in 2022, when he won by 63.6 percentage points. His narrowest MOV in the district was in 2008 when he won by 38 percentage points.

Vacancies in the 119th Congress

So far in the 119th Congress, there have been 13 in the U.S. House and four in the U.S. Senate. Of those vacancies:

• Three in the U.S. Senate were filled via appointment.
• One in the U.S. Senate was filled when Sen. Jim Justice (R-W.Va.) was sworn into office 11 days after the start of the 119th Congress. Justice delayed his swearing-in in order to fulfill the remainder of his term as governor of West Virginia.
• Eight in the U.S. House were filled after special election winners were sworn in.

As of April 22, 2026, the vacancies in Georgia’s 13th Congressional District, California's 1st Congressional District, California's 14th Congressional District, Florida's 20th Congressional District, and Texas' 23rd Congressional District have not been filled.

Of the 17 vacancies, the longest was in Texas' 18th Congressional District.

Congressional vacancies since the 113th Congress

During the 113th through 118th Congresses, there were 88 vacancies in the U.S. House and 16 in the U.S. Senate. The average length of a vacancy in the U.S. Senate during that period was seven days. The average length of a vacancy in the U.S. House during that period was 138 days.

The longest vacancy in the U.S. Senate during that period was in New Jersey. The vacancy occurred during the 118th Congress, when Sen. Bob Menendez (D-N.J.) resigned on Aug. 20, 2024. Following Menendez's resignation, the seat was vacant for 20 days.

The longest vacancy in the U.S. House during that period was in Michigan's 13th Congressional District. The vacancy occurred during the 115th Congress, when Rep. John Conyers, Jr. (D-Mich.) resigned on Dec. 5, 2017. Following Conyers' resignation, the seat was vacant for 359 days.