His retirement sets the stage for two potentially competitive Senate races in Georgia, a state that Democrats have increasingly targeted, during a presidential election year. Isakson’s colleague, Sen. David Perdue, is also a Republican and up for reelection.
Isakson cited the toll from a number of health complications, including the progression of his Parkinson’s disease, a fall last month and surgery this week to remove a growth on his kidney, for “leaving a job I love” before the end of his term.
“It goes against every fiber of my being to leave in the middle of my Senate term,” Isakson said in a statement Wednesday, adding that his “health challenges are taking their toll on me, my family and my staff.”
“But I know it’s the right thing to do on behalf of my state,” Isakson added.
Isakson, who won his third term in 2016, said he had already informed Georgia’s governor, Brian Kemp, of his decision to resign Dec. 31. He missed the last few votes before the August recess after falling in his Washington apartment and fracturing four ribs. Kemp is expected to appoint Isakson’s replacement.
Isakson said he intends to return to the Senate in September and continue advocating for Georgia and those working toward finding a cure for Parkinson’s disease. He announced in 2015 that he had been diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease two years earlier, after visiting a neurologist about stiffness in his left arm.
Isakson is widely respected for his bipartisanship and work ethic over decades of work in Georgia and national politics. He currently chairs both the Senate Select Committee on Ethics and the Veterans’ Affairs Committee. Isakson, who touts being the only Georgian to have represented both the House and Senate in both the state and national legislatures, is also seen as a central figure in the Republican Party’s political might in the state.
“No one is more respected by other members of the Senate than Johnny Isakson is,” said Sen. Roy Blunt, R-Mo., in a statement. “I will miss his leadership and advice when he leaves the Senate.”
Sen. Chuck Schumer of New York, the minority leader, said that “one of the many fine adjectives to describe Johnny Isakson is a word not used enough in the halls of Congress these days: kind.”
“Not only is Johnny a diligent and successful legislator, he is one of the kindest, most thoughtful senators,” he said in a statement. “Independent of any party or politics, everyone will miss Johnny.”
Isakson first entered politics in 1974, after two decades as a businessman in Georgia. Having served in the Georgia Air National Guard, he has advocated for veterans legislation, including a multibillion-dollar overhaul of the veterans health care system. Isakson was a dominant voice in efforts to resolve the partisan tussle over allocating disaster funding toward several natural disasters in 2018.
Isakson is the fifth senator to announce retirement ahead of the 2020 elections. Three other Republicans, Sens. Michael B. Enzi of Wyoming, Pat Roberts of Kansas and Lamar Alexander of Tennessee, and one Democrat, Sen. Tom Udall of New Mexico, have all previously announced their intentions to step down.
A party official said that the person appointed to Isakson’s seat will have to compete in a primary ahead of a special election in 2020, meaning that both Georgia Senate seats will be on the same ballot.
A spokesman for Stacey Abrams quickly tamped down speculation that the failed gubernatorial candidate and rising Democratic star, who previously passed on challenging Perdue, would run for the seat. “While she will not be a candidate herself, she is committed to helping Democratic candidates win both Senate races next year,” Seth Bringman, her spokesman, said.
In a Twitter statement, the Georgia Democratic Party said that with Isakson’s retirement, “it has never been clearer: the path to victory runs through Georgia.”
Among the potential Republican contenders for Isakson’s seat are the state attorney general, Chris Carr, and lieutenant governor, Geoff Duncan, as well as members of Georgia’s delegation in the House. Reps. Doug Collins, the top Republican on the Judiciary Committee, and Tom Graves, a member of the Appropriations Committee, are both seen as possible successors to the seat.
This article originally appeared in
.