Former Georgia Sen. Johnny Isakson is dead at 76


Former Sen. Johnny Isakson (R-Ga.), a reliable Republican vote respected by many Democrats for working to build consensus behind the scenes, died at home early Sunday. He was 76 and had been living with Parkinson's disease for six years, but his son John Isakson told The Associated Press the cause of death wasn't immediately apparent.
Isakson had built his family's real estate business into one of the South's biggest residential brokerage firms — and himself into a multimillionaire — before he entered politics with an unsuccessful 1974 run for the Georgia House. He won a seat in the chamber two years later, then was elected to the Georgia Senate, before losing races for Georgia governor in 1990 and U.S. Senate in 1996, when he lost the GOP primary. He entered Congress after spending a fortune in the race to replace former House Speaker Newt Gingrich (R-Ga.) in 1999, and he won his Senate seat in 2004.
Isakson disclosed his Parkinson's diagnosis before seeking a third term in 2016, but retired at the end of 2019, four years into his six-year term, after he fell and fractured four ribs. He is best known for his work on education and veterans affairs legislation. "As a businessman and a 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," said Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp (R).
The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Isakson "was a transitional figure," said Ross Baker, a Rutgers University congressional scholar. "He was the person who set the tone for debate, who was a facilitator rather than a legislative innovator," and his genial "bipartisan brand of politics" stood in stark contrast to Gingrich and Sen. Zell Miller (D), the two lawmakers he replaced. "Isakson saw the increasing diversity in the state," Baker told The Washington Post, "and saw it to his political advantage to adopt much more moderate, inclusive positions."
Isakson is survived by his wife of 53 years, Dianne, plus three children and nine grandchildren.
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Peter has worked as a news and culture writer and editor at The Week since the site's launch in 2008. He covers politics, world affairs, religion and cultural currents. His journalism career began as a copy editor at a financial newswire and has included editorial positions at The New York Times Magazine, Facts on File, and Oregon State University.
-
The week's best photos
In Pictures A silver-painted boy, a raging flood, and more
-
Roblox, one of the world's most popular video games, has become a bastion of hate speech
The Explainer The platform has over 111 million daily users
-
Russian strike on Kyiv kills 23, hits EU offices
Speed Read The strike was the second-largest since Russia invaded in 2022
-
RFK Jr. names new CDC head as staff revolt
Speed Read Kennedy installed his deputy, Jim O'Neill, as acting CDC director
-
DC prosecutors lose bid to indict sandwich thrower
Speed Read Prosecutors sought to charge Sean Dunn with assaulting a federal officer
-
White House fires new CDC head amid agency exodus
Speed Read CDC Director Susan Monarez was ousted after butting heads with HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. over vaccines
-
DOGE put Social Security data at risk, official says
Speed Read DOGE workers made the personal information of hundreds of millions of Americans vulnerable to identity theft
-
Court rejects Trump suit against Maryland US judges
Speed Read Judge Thomas Cullen, a Trump appointee, said the executive branch had no authority to sue the judges
-
Trump expands National Guard role in policing
Speed Read The president wants the Guard to take on a larger role in domestic law enforcement
-
Trump says he's firing Federal Reserve Governor Lisa Cook
Speed Read The move is likely part of Trump's push to get the central bank to cut interest rates
-
Abrego released from jail, faces Uganda deportation
Speed Read The wrongly deported Kilmar Abrego García is expected to be detained at an ICE check-in and deported to Uganda