by Andrew Trunsky
Former Sen. Johnny Isakson, a Republican from Georgia, died Sunday morning at 76.
Isakson’s death was confirmed by Georgia Republican Gov. Brian Kemp, who called the former senator one of Georgia’s “greatest statesmen.”
“As a businessman and gifted retail politician, Johnny paved the way for the modern Republican Party in Georgia, but he never let partisan politics get in the way of doing what was right,” Kemp said.
Isakson’s Twitter account also confirmed his death, saying that his family was “grateful for the prayers and support.”
Isakson represented Georgia’s 6th district in the House from 1999-2005 and served as a senator from 2005 until 2019. He resigned midway through his third term after revealing that his Parkinson’s disease, first diagnosed in 2015, was progressing.
Kemp appointed businesswoman Kelly Loeffler to succeed Isakson in early 2020, but she lost a special election a year later to now-Democratic Sen. Raphael Warnock, who now faces reelection in 2022.
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Andrew Trunsky is a reporter at Daily Caller News Foundation.
Photo “Sen. Johnny Isakson” by United States Congress.
