Georgia Republican Senator Johnny Isakson has just announced his retirement from the Senate due to his Parkinson’s disease:
BREAKING: Georgia Sen. Isakson is resigning at the end of 2019: "I have made the very tough decision to leave the U.S. Senate," he said in a statement.
"My Parkinson’s has been progressing" and he has a "growth" on his kidney, he said – @LACaldwellDC
— NBC Politics (@NBCPolitics) August 28, 2019
Isakson was re-elected in 2016 and has three years left on his term. For those of you counting, Republicans currently have 53 seats in the Senate, so their thin majority will stay in tact.
Isakson’s resignation does present an opening for Stacey Abrams if she wanted to run for Senate. I’m sure people will be encouraging her to do so, but after the way she reacted when losing the gubernatorial race, I would hope she couldn’t win dog catcher in Georgia.
As far as Isakson’s health, we wish him the best of luck in his fight with Parkinson’s.