In his farewell speech in the U.S. Senate, Georgia’s Johnny Isakson issued a final call for bipartisanship, a theme that has been the hallmark of his 45-year public career, in the legislature and in Congress.
“I never saw people get things done without agreeing to something,” the East Cobb Republican said Tuesday afternoon in a Senate chamber that included Vice President Mike Pence.
He paid tribute to Georgia Democratic Congressman John Lewis, an icon of the Civil Rights Movement, “as one of my real heroes in life because I watched what he went through to help us see the light in the South, in my part of the South, Georgia.”
Isakson said bipartisanship is more than just a strategy for getting things done, but also “a state of mind . . . a state of being.”
He said his approach to accomplishing things for his constituents was a simple one: “I did what I thought was right. That’s the way to do it.”
The 74-year-old former real estate executive is leaving office Dec. 31 for health reasons stemming from his continuing battle with Parkinson’s Disease and after fracturing ribs in a fall last summer.
After stints in the Georgia House and Senate, as well as the U.S. House, Isakson said his 15-year tenure in the U.S. Senate “is the most enjoyable thing I’ve ever done in my life.”
In his most impassioned part of his speech, Isakson implored his colleagues to “find a way to find common ground.” He said, “America, we have a problem,” but that “we can do anything” by dropping hard party labels. “Bipartisanship will be the way you accomplish things, the way you live.”
Dozens of senators of both parties offered remarks from the floor in tribute, including Georgia’s David Perdue, who said Isakson is “the best partner anyone could ask for.”
Isakson’s departing a Washington that’s embroiled in impeachment hearings in the House against President Donald Trump, and as his own Republican Party is in an uproar over his successor.
Perdue’s new partner will be Atlanta businesswoman Kelly Loeffler, whose appointment was made official Wednesday by Gov. Brian Kemp. He was pressured by Trump and the president’s allies to choose Georgia Congresswoman Doug Collins.
Loeffler owns a bitcoin trading company and is co-owner of the Atlanta Dream of the Women’s National Basketball Association. A major Republican donor, she has not held public office.
Her term goes through next November’s elections, with the winner to fill the final two year’s of Isakson’s term.
On Wednesday morning, Isakson issued a statement congratulating Loeffler on her appointment:
“Kelly’s business experience and acumen will be an asset to Georgia and the Senate. The same tireless work ethic that has helped her succeed in business will also help her succeed in serving Georgians and our nation. It has been the honor of a lifetime for me to serve this great state in the U.S. Senate, and my staff and I will work closely with Kelly to ensure a smooth transition.”
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