[4] Scott defeated Republican Mary Fitzpatrick, and was certified and sworn in as a member of the South Carolina House of Representatives in January 1991.
[9] Scott went on to defeat United Citizens Party candidate Chris Nelums in the general election,[10] and represent the 19th district in the South Carolina Senate after the retirement[11] of Kay Patterson.
[13] He served on the Senate Banking and Insurance; Education; Finance; Labor, Commerce and Industry; Legislative Oversight, and Medical Affairs Committees.
[18] In 2018, Scott was selected to serve as running mate for the office of lieutenant governor, on a ticket with Democratic gubernatorial candidate Marguerite Willis.
Scott and Willis were eliminated in the Democratic primary, losing to Rep. James E. Smith Jr., and running mate Rep. Mandy Powers Norrell.
In 2021, Scott received a Doctorate of Humane Letters from Allen University and the Marion Pinckney Carnell Award from the South Carolina Primary Health Care Association.
Scott led the South Carolina Institutes for Innovation and Information, which supports the state's seven historically black colleges and universities.
[37] On October 24, Isaac Devine won the Democratic primary, and went on to defeat Addison, Nelums and Smalls in the January 2024 special election.