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Johnny Isakson Announces Plans To Resign From U.S. Senate At End Of 2019
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Georgia U.S. Sen. Johnny Isakson will be resigning at the end of 2019.
According to a press release from Isakson's office, he will end his service in the Senate on Dec. 31, 2019. In the release he said, "I am leaving a job I love because my health challenges are taking their toll on me, my family and my staff."
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His most recent health struggles include the removal of a 2 centimeter mass from his kidney on Monday and a series of falls related to his Parkinson's disease diagnosis. Isakson, 74, was hospitalized in July when a fall led to multiple rib fractures.
“In my 40 years in elected office, I have always put my constituents and my state of Georgia first. With the mounting health challenges I am facing, I have concluded that I will not be able to do the job over the long term in the manner the citizens of Georgia deserve," he said in Wednesday's press release. "It goes against every fiber of my being to leave in the middle of my Senate term, but I know it’s the right thing to do on behalf of my state."
In his letter of resignation sent to the Gov. Brian Kemp, Isakson said his decision to leave his post on Capitol Hill came after "much prayer and consultation with my family and doctors."
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Isakson, chairman of both the Senate Veterans Affairs Committee and Select Committee on Ethics, said he "will do everything we can to help whomever you appoint to serve in this seat."
Gov. Kemp will have the oppportunity to name a replacement for the open Senate seat. However, the appointed senator will not serve out the remainder of Isakson's full term. whomever Kemp selects will have to run for election during the November 2020 General Election. Georgia's other Senator, David Perdue, will also be on the ballot.
For Georgia voters, this means that all congressional seats will be open for election on Tuesday, Nov. 3, 2020.
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