The Virginia statehouse will soon have its first Black speaker in its more than 400-year history after the chamber’s incoming Democratic majority elected Assemblyman Don Scott to the post.

Scott was unanimously elected chairman Saturday by the House of Representatives Democratic Caucus, the group said in a news release. The full Virginia House of Representatives will vote to officially confirm him on the first day of the 2024 legislative session.

Virginia voters sent a resounding message Tuesday that they want a Commonwealth that moves forward and that’s exactly what I plan to do as your next president, Scott said in a statement.

Democrats not only flipped control of the House of Representatives in Tuesday’s legislative elections but also retained their majority in the Senate, defeating the government. Glenn Youngkin and fellow Republicans’ hopes for securing full Republican Party control of the Capitol.

The result means at least two more years of divided governance. While Democrats will have to work with Youngkin to secure his support for legislation, they will be able to move forward without him in some areas, such as judicial elections and starting the years-long process of initiating constitutional amendments.

Scott, a U.S. Navy veteran and Portsmouth litigator with a quick mind, has seen a rapid rise in power among Virginia Democrats since he was first elected in 2019.

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In an interview before the vote, Scott said his election as chairman would showcase the progress made in Virginia and Richmond, the former capital of the Confederacy, over their long histories.

“I know I stood on the shoulders of my ancestors who built that Capitol,” Scott said.

“I just woke up with so much gratitude to be in this position. … I know there are so many people who are much smarter than me, who are black, who never got this opportunity,” he added.

In the interview, Scott pledged that Democrats would spend the next two years of Youngkin’s term advancing progressive priorities on his desk, even though they could face the threat of a veto.

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He said his party would take steps to pass a budget that reflects the interests of Virginians over corporations, raise the minimum wage to $15 an hour and strengthen gun control laws, including a ban on assault weapons.

I think this is the responsible thing to do. Weapons of war should not be allowed to lie en masse in our streets. “We’re not going to take away anyone’s guns, but we’re going to prevent future sales of them,” he said.

As for Youngkin’s proposed 15-week abortion ban, it’s dead, Scott said, adding that the clearest message Tuesday night was that Virginia voters want to see abortion rights protected.

The Democrats, we are the party of freedom. I never thought the Republicans would become a nanny state against women [what] to do with their bodies, he said.

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Scott, a Texas native and Navy officer, openly discusses the fact that he served prison time for a drug offense decades ago, something Republicans have occasionally used to criticize him.

He then rose through the ranks at a workforce development firm and then started his own law practice before joining a leading personal injury firm, Breit Biniazan, where he is a partner.

Speaker-designate Scott’s personal story of resilience, second chances and historic firsts mirrors that of many Virginians and people across the country, the House Democratic Caucus said in its press release.

Scott has been a political opponent of the governor. He once said in pointed remarks on the floor that Youngkin’s crusade against the academic framework known as critical race theory made him wonder whether the governor, who is openly religious, was actually a man of faith.

The comments prompted the governor to take the unusual step of visiting Scott’s office for a closed-door meeting that lasted about half an hour.

In the AP interview, Scott said he sees a path forward to working with Youngkin on kitchen table issues in a bipartisan manner.

I think there is an opportunity for the governor to reset. Not on our terms, not on his terms, but on the terms of Virginia voters, he said.

Scott has been the minority leader since 2022, when the caucus opted to vote out its previous leader, Eileen Filler-Corn, after a failed election cycle that saw the party lose full control of the state government.

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In a statement Saturday, Filler-Corn congratulated Scott and called his election a historic milestone and victory for Virginia.

Current Republican House Speaker Todd Gilbert also had warm words for Scott. He congratulated him on making history and pledged to work with him to ensure a seamless transition of the institution.