GOP Sen.
Johnny Isakson (Ga.) announced Wednesday that he will step down from the Senate at the end of the year, citing health issues.
"After much prayer and consultation with my family and my doctors, I have made the very tough decision to leave the U.S. Senate at the end of this year. I have informed Georgia Governor Brian Kemp today that I will resign my Senate seat effective December 31, 2019," Isakson said in a statement.
Isakson, 74, was reelected to the Senate in 2016, but his political future has been the subject of speculation for years.
He underwent two back surgeries in 2017 and fractured his ribs during a fall in his Washington, D.C., apartment last month.
In his statement on Wednesday, he cited ongoing health issues as his primary reason for stepping down early.
"I am leaving a job I love because my health challenges are taking their toll on me, my family and my staff. My Parkinson’s has been progressing, and I am continuing physical therapy to recover from a fall in July. In addition, this week I had surgery to remove a growth on my kidney," Isakson said.
He sent a letter on Wednesday to Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp (R) notifying him of his decision to leave the Senate early.
"I therefore am notifying you that I am resigning my U.S. Senate seat effective Dec. 31, 2019. While it pains me greatly to leave in the middle of my term, I know it is the right thing to do for the citizens of Georgia," Isakson wrote.
Isakson's term runs through 2022, and Kemp, under state law, is allowed to fill the vacant Senate seat.
A special election will be held to fill the remaining two years of Isakson’s term during the next regularly scheduled election, meaning Georgia voters will cast ballots for both of the state's Senate seats in 2020, when Sen. David Perdue (R-Ga.) is also up for reelection.
Isakson's decision to retire immediately sparked speculation that Democrats could try to lure Stacey Abrams, who lost the state's 2018 gubernatorial race, to run for his seat in the special election. But a spokesman for Abrams shut the door on a new 2020 Senate bid, saying Abrams would not be a candidate.
