JOHNNY ISAKSON

Democratic Georgia Sen. Raphael Warnock has won the state’s runoff election, defeating Republican Herschel Walker in one of the most hard-fought campaigns of 2022. Warnock is the state’s first Black senator and senior pastor at the Ebenezer Baptist Church in Atlanta. Originally elected last year in a special election to replace retired GOP Sen. Johnny Isakson, he has now been chosen to serve a full six-year term in the Senate.

Democratic Sen. Raphael Warnock has defeated Republican challenger Herschel Walker in a runoff election in Georgia.

Democratic Sen. Raphael Warnock has defeated Republican challenger Herschel Walker in a runoff election in Georgia.

Also in today’s edition … What Georgia’s past two Senate contests tell us about the runoff ... The fight over what to include in the annual defense policy bill … What we’re watching: The Supreme will hear oral arguments in the latest conflict between free speech and gay rights. And how Republicans will react to Trump’s suggestion the Constitution should be suspended for him.

Control of the U.S. Senate could again come down to Georgia — and that means it could further come down to the state's runoff election rules.

Democratic U.S. Sen. Raphael Warnock is maintaining his cash lead in Georgia over Republican challenger Herschel Walker.

Georgia Republican Herschel Walker says his U.S. Senate campaign raised $5.5 million in the first three months of 2022.

More than 600 sitting senators have died or resigned since the first Congress met in 1789.

Just a year ago, many Republicans joined Democrats in reacting with horror to the Capitol insurrection.

Politicians and family members are remembering Georgia Republican Sen. Johnny Isakson's ability to build consensus and win friends.

In his final speech​ on the Senate floor in 2019, Isakson highlighted his personal slogan that there were two types of people: "friends and future friends."

In his final speech​ on the Senate floor in 2019, Isakson highlighted his personal slogan that there were two types of people: "friends and future friends."

The former Georgia lawmaker rose from the ranks of the state Legislature to become a U.S. senator known as an effective, behind-the-scenes force for compromise.

Former Georgia Republican U.S. Senator Johnny Isakson has died.

Johnny Isakson, an affable Georgia Republican politician who rose from the ranks of the state Legislature to become a U.S. senator known as an effective, behind-the-scenes consensus builder, died Sunday. Isakson's son John Isakson told The Associated Press his father died in his sleep before dawn Sunday at his home in Atlanta. John Isakson said that although his father had Parkinson's disease, the cause of death was not immediately apparent.

Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell has endorsed Herschel Walker for the Senate in Georgia.

Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp says voters “know what the truth is” when it comes to the job he's performed as governor.

Georgia Republican Doug Collins, a favorite of former President Donald Trump, says he doesn’t plan to run for governor or U.S. Senate in 2022.

The certification by Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger officially seals Warnock and Ossoff's victories over their Republican opponents in the Jan. 5 runoffs. Once Warnock and Ossoff are sworn in, there will be a 50-50 partisan divide in the Senate, giving Vice President-elect Kamala Harris the tie-breaking vote. Biden in November became the first Democratic presidential candidate to carry the state since 1992, while Warnock and Ossoff are the first Democrats to win a U.S. Senate election in Georgia since 2000. Loeffler gave a farewell speech from the Senate floor Tuesday, where she thanked her supporters and wished Warnock well. Perdue's term ended Jan. 3, while Loeffler remains in the Senate until Warnock is sworn in because she was appointed to fill Isakson's unexpired term.

In a state long dominated by Republicans, Democrats won Georgia’s electoral votes for president in November and two U.S. Senate seats in runoff elections Tuesday, defeating Kemp's hand-picked Senate appointee. And the defeats of both Loeffler and fellow Republican David Perdue handed control of the U.S. Senate to Democrats. Some Republicans blame Trump and his false claims of election fraud for hurting GOP turnout in the the Senate runoffs. “I’ll be here in about a year and a half, campaigning against your governor,” Trump said. “I guarantee it.”The strain on Kemp was on display Tuesday when the governor attended an election-night event for the GOP Senate candidates before their defeats were sealed.

ATLANTA – Republican Sen. Kelly Loeffler on Thursday conceded to Democrat Raphael Warnock in one of two Georgia Senate runoffs that will give control of the U.S. Senate to Democrats. With his victory in Tuesday’s election, Warnock becomes the first African American from Georgia elected to the Senate. “Unfortunately we came up slightly short in the runoff election,” Loeffler says in the video. Democrat Jon Ossoff beat Republican David Perdue in Georgia’s other Senate runoff. Tuesday's runoff election broke turnout records for a Georgia runoff, with more than 4.4 million ballots cast.

The call was made after an analysis of outstanding ballots showed there was no way for Perdue, who was seeking a second term, to overtake Ossoff’s lead. Tens of thousands of outstanding votes remain to be counted, but the vast majority were in six Democratic-leaning counties that Ossoff was winning. Many of the ballots left to be counted were mail votes, a form of voting that overwhelmingly favored Ossoff. The remaining votes left to be counted in Republican-leaning areas that favored Perdue were not enough for him to catch up. Until Warnock, a Democrat hadn't won a U.S. Senate contest in the state since former Georgia Gov.

Pastor challenging senator appointed by Gov. Brian Kemp to fill remaining two years of term of Sen. Johnny Isakson, who resigned in late 2019.

(AP Photo/Brynn Anderson)WASHINGTON – Two high-stakes runoff elections in Georgia are poised to determine which party controls the Senate over the next two years. What the contests won't do is affect the certification of Electoral College results by Congress. Regardless of the outcome of their races, it won’t change the calculus in Congress when it comes to the Electoral College certification process. And thanks to quirks in Georgia election law, Perdue won’t be able to cast a vote Wednesday even if he wins. If he wins, he can retake his seat after the results of his election are certified later this month and Georgia Gov.

Perdue got about 88,000 more votes than Ossoff in the general election, but a Libertarian candidate’s 115,000 votes kept him from topping 50%, which is required to win. Warnock got 1.6 million votes, while Loeffler got nearly 1.3 million and Republican U.S. Rep. Doug Collins placed third with nearly a million votes. No ballots, including absentee ballots received in advance of Election Day, can be counted until the polls close. Second, Republican voters have been more likely to vote in person, either on Election Day or during the early voting period. In November, more than 5 percent of Georgia’s votes were counted after noon on the day after Election Day.

Georgia counted its votes three times before certifying Biden's win by a 11,779 margin, Raffensperger noted: “President Trump, we’ve had several lawsuits, and we’ve had to respond in court to the lawsuits and the contentions. The Associated Press obtained the full audio of Trump’s conversation with Georgia officials from a person on the call. The Georgia officials on the call are heard repeatedly pushing back against the president’s assertions, telling him that he’s relying on debunked theories and, in one case, selectively edited video. “He has no clue!” Trump tweeted of Raffensperger, saying the state official “was unwilling, or unable” to answer questions. Raffensperger’s Twitter response: “Respectfully, President Trump: What you’re saying is not true.

Both of Georgia's Senate seats weren't supposed to be up for grabs in 2020. As for the challengers, Ossoff and Warnock are seeking to become the first Democrats to win a U.S. Senate election in Georgia since 2000. If he defeats Perdue, Ossoff would be the Senate's youngest member at age 33. The November elections resulted in Republicans holding 50 Senate seats and Democrats controlling 48. Trump has scheduled a Monday rally with Perdue and Loeffler in conservative northwest Georgia.

The president has spread unfounded assertions of voter fraud and blasted Georgia Republican officials, including Gov. Democrats are fine with the GOP senators' decision to run as Trump Republicans and use exaggerated attacks. But the early vote already has set a statewide Georgia runoff turnout record. McNeely, the former state GOP leader, lamented that even if Perdue and Loeffler win, their campaigns move Georgia further away from a more centrist tradition. But he rose through the Georgia General Assembly in an era when Democrats dominated the state.

The president has spread unfounded assertions of voter fraud and blasted Georgia Republican officials, including Gov. Democrats are fine with the GOP senators' decision to run as Trump Republicans and use exaggerated attacks. But the early vote already has set a statewide Georgia runoff turnout record. McNeely, the former state GOP leader, lamented that even if Perdue and Loeffler win, their campaigns move Georgia further away from a more centrist tradition. But he rose through the Georgia General Assembly in an era when Democrats dominated the state.

ATLANTA – The consequences of Georgia’s twin Senate runoffs are well known: They’ll determine which party controls the Senate in the new Congress. November elections guaranteed Republicans at least 50 Senate seats for the 117th Congress, which convenes for the first time in January as set by federal law. Democrats won 48 Senate seats. The Georgia seats remain up for grabs because no candidates got an outright majority as state law requires. One Republican victory would keep the Senate under GOP control throughout the next Congress (barring an unforeseen vacancy).

Both of Georgia's Senate seats weren't supposed to be up for grabs in 2020. As for the challengers, Ossoff and Warnock are seeking to become the first Democrats to win a U.S. Senate election in Georgia since 2000. If he defeats Perdue, Ossoff would be the Senate's youngest member at age 33. The November elections resulted in Republicans holding 50 Senate seats and Democrats controlling 48. Trump has scheduled a Monday rally with Perdue and Loeffler in conservative northwest Georgia.

Brian Kemp in December last year was widely seen as a way for the Georgia GOP to appeal to moderate suburban women. Or would she heed the plea for bipartisanship made in a farewell speech by her predecessor, retired Republican Sen. Johnny Isakson? Critics say Loeffler took a hard-right turn once she drew a challenge from staunch Trump ally and fellow Republican Doug Collins. Loeffler's campaign did not make her available for an interview and did not respond to questions sent by email. Loeffler's connection to the company poses potentially deep conflicts of interest on Senate matters dealing with the regulation of financial markets.

(AP Photo/Evan Vucci, File)ATLANTA – Republican Sen. Kelly Loeffler of Georgia on Wednesday declined to rule out a formal protest of Democrat Joe Biden's victory when Congress convenes next month to certify the presidential election results. Those voters will be crucial in the Jan. 5 runoffs as Loeffler takes on Democrat Raphael Warnock and Perdue faces Democrat Jon Ossoff. Following the Electoral College's affirmation on Monday of Biden's victory, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell broke his weeks of silence on the matter to congratulate Biden and call on his fellow Republican senators not to dispute the results. It’s disrespectful to Georgia voters to say anything else.”Loeffler could do little more than momentarily delay the final certification of Biden’s victory over Trump. “I have fought alongside President Trump since day one to get our agenda accomplished, and I continue to stand with him now,” he said.

Republican Sen. David Perdue became Georgia’s senior U.S. Senator in his first term when Sen. Johnny Isakson resigned the state’s other Senate seat late last year. He survived a primary challenge in June to run for in November against Democrat Jon Ossoff. Below is what we learned about Ossoff and Perdue. Click to learn the same information about the candidates in the second U.S. Senate race: Kelly Loeffler and Rafael Warnock.

But the funding behind the group will likely remain a mystery until well after ballots are cast in the Jan. 5 election. Yet unlike other similar outside groups operating in the state, Peachtree PAC has taken steps to mask who its donors are until Jan. 31, according to Federal Election Commission records. Groups like Peachtree PAC are often referred to as “pop up " PACs, which have been embraced by Republicans and Democrats alike. This new activity through Peachtree PAC will articulate the stakes couldn’t be higher as the future of freedom is on the ballot,” SLF President Steven Law said in a statement. CNN was first to report that Senate Leadership Fund was operating Peachtree PAC.

(AP Photo/Evan Vucci, File)ATLANTA – The Georgia U.S. Senate runoffs don't take place until Jan. 5. And President Donald Trump has complicated the contest by claiming baselessly that the November election in Georgia was beset by fraud. Already, $329 million in advertising has been spent or reserved in the state since Election Day, according to data from the ad tracking firm Kantar/CMAG. While Biden’s campaign ran operations in Georgia until the Nov. 3 election, Senate Democrats’ campaign arm is in charge now. “People are very inspired by the Stacey Abrams magic,” said Michael Smith, a Los Angeles donor who has given to several groups raising money for the Georgia Democrats.

There have even been suggestions from some Trump allies that conservative voters should sit out the Jan. 5 Senate runoffs in protest, a notion Pence took head on. Talking to Democrats, Obama struck a different tone, celebrating Biden's Georgia win but warning it's not enough. Pence, as he did two weeks ago when campaigning with the Georgia senators, tried to strike a balance. But this time, Pence's message comes as Georgia completes yet another recount of presidential ballots and in the wake of Trump escalating his attacks on Georgia Republicans. As Pence arrived in the state, Georgia officials were in the final stages of a third count requested by Trump’s campaign.

YOU deserve a FAIR and TRANSPARENT Election,” Trump's son Donald Trump Jr. said Tuesday in one such email. Seventy-five percent of each contribution made now goes to Save America, with the remaining 25% going to the RNC's operating account. The unusual way the Trump campaign is divvying up the contributions has drawn scrutiny from election watchdogs, who say Trump and his family are poised to financially benefit from the arrangement. The effort is not the only fundraising operation the Trump family is involved in. Representatives for Save the U.S. Senate PAC did not respond to requests for comment.

President Donald Trump participates in a video teleconference call with members of the military on Thanksgiving, Thursday, Nov. 26, 2020, at the White House in Washington. Republicans acknowledge Trump as the GOP’s biggest turnout driver, including in Georgia, where Biden won by fewer than 13,000 votes out of about 5 million cast. “Followers of Trump will follow Trump, but they’re not blind to the huge stakes. Before November, Democrats dreaded a second Trump term more than Republicans feared Trump losing, Robinson reasoned. “I couldn’t be more excited to welcome” the president “back to Georgia,” Loeffler wrote on Twitter after Trump confirmed his plans.

Republican candidate for U.S. Senate Sen. David Perdue speaks during a campaign rally on Friday, Nov. 13, 2020, in Cumming, Ga. Perdue and Democratic candidate Jon Ossoff are in a runoff election for the Senate seat in Georgia. But for Sen. David Perdue, a Georgia Republican, the crisis last March signaled something else: a stock buying opportunity. The Cardlytics transactions were just a slice of a large number of investment decisions made in the early days of the pandemic by Perdue and other senators. “The bi-partisan Senate Ethics Committee, DOJ and SEC all independently and swiftly cleared Senator Perdue months ago, which was reported on," Burke said. Isakson, who served with Perdue, took steps to avoid the type of scrutiny Perdue is now facing.

While Pence was on a bus tour in Georgia, a partial recount loomed in Wisconsin. Pence focused Friday on securing the Republican Senate majority by helping Perdue and Loeffler defeat Democrats Jon Ossoff and Raphael Warnock, respectively. Pence implied as much when he said Friday that a “Republican Senate majority could be the last line of defense for all that we’ve done." Pence is the latest in a flurry of potential future Republican presidential candidates to come to Georgia, following Florida Sens. Pence's exurban itinerary Friday underscores Republican math in Georgia: both are in heavily Republicans counties that are growing fast.

Loeffler, appointed after Republican Sen. Johnny Isakson announced his retirement last year, trailed Warnock in an all-party primary to finish out the final two years of a six-year term. Still, the GOP needs at least one of the Georgia seats to command a majority in January. In a 50-50 Senate, Democrats would have the tie-breaking vote in Vice President-elect Kamala Harris. “But all socialists are Democrats.”Rubio alluded to failed presidential candidate Bernie Sanders, an independent who calls himself a democratic socialist and caucuses with Senate Democrats. Their bet is that Georgia, long a GOP stronghold before Biden’s performance in the presidential race, follows the same path.

Family and supporters hold runoff signs as Democratic U.S. Senate candidate Rev. Raphael Warnock speaks during an Election Night event on November 3, 2020 in Atlanta, Georgia. Democratic Senate candidate Rev. And a run-off election also means that Georgia residents who are currently 17 years old — but will turn 18 by the time of the run-off election — will have the opportunity to participate. Kelly Loeffler, Raphael Warnock, Doug Collins, candidates for Georgia Senate Reuters; Getty ImagesGeorgia may hold multiple run-off elections in January.

Republican candidate for Senate Sen. David Perdue speaks during a campaign stop at Peachtree Dekalb Airport Monday, Nov. 2, 2020, in Atlanta. But if the Democratic challenger wins, the ambitions of a Biden presidency could well come down to Georgia. But if the Democratic challenger wins, the ambitions of a Biden presidency could well come down to Georgia. That was cemented Friday evening when Democrat Jon Ossoff and Georgia Sen. David Perdue narrowly advanced to a second round after three days of vote counting. Otherwise, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, a Kentucky Republican, could wield the power to block Biden.

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., speaks with reporters during a press conference in Louisville, Ky., Wednesday, Nov. 4, 2020. “We’re waiting — whether I’m going to be the majority leader or not,” Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., said Wednesday. There already is a Jan. 5 runoff in the state's other Senate race. Securing the Senate majority will be vital for the winner of the presidency. John Hickenlooper defeated GOP Sen. Cory Gardner, and Arizona, where former astronaut Mark Kelly beat Republican incumbent Martha McSally.

Speaker Nancy Pelosi was on track to keep control of the Democratic House, but saw her majority shrinking and her leadership called into question. Pelosi and Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer were notably quiet Wednesday. “I know folks are anxious,” Democratic Sen. Chris Murphy told followers on a live Twitter video. “It’s time for a different approach,” said Democrat John Hickenlooper, a former governor who unseated Republican Sen. Cory Gardner in Colorado. In the presidential battleground of Michigan, Republicans made an aggressive push for John James, a Black businessman trying to unseat Democratic Sen. Gary Peters.

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell said President Donald Trump’s campaign helped his GOP allies, but that state election officials were still counting ballots. Key Senate races in North Carolina, Alaska and Georgia remained undecided. Democrats contested seats from New England to the Deep South and the Midwest to the Mountain West, reaching deep into GOP strongholds. North Carolina Republican Sen. Thom Tillis has struggled against Democrat Cal Cunningham, despite the married challenger’s sexting scandal with a public relations strategist. GOP Sen. Kelly Loeffler will face Democrat Raphael Warnock, a Black pastor at the church where the Rev.

Kelly Loeffler, Raphael Warnock, Doug Collins, candidates for Georgia Senate Reuters; Getty ImagesThe hotly contested Georgia special election is projected to go to a January runoff between Republican Sen. Kelly Loeffler and Ebenezer Baptist Church Pastor Raphael Warnock, NBC New projected. Loeffler, who was appointed to the seat late last year, had fought fiercely with Rep. Doug Collins for dominance on the Republican side of the special election. "I just called @kloeffler and congratulated her on making the runoff," Collins tweeted. The special election pitted several candidates against each other to replace Republican Sen. Johnny Isakson, who retired last year because of health challenges. On the Republican side, Loeffler faced a tough reelection challenge from Collins, a fierce supporter of President Donald Trump.

Republican Senate candidate Sen. Mitch McConnell, second from right, and his wife, Elaine Chao, right, look on as aides show him the election results in Louisville, Ky., Tuesday, Nov. 3, 2020. (AP Photo/Timothy D. Easley)WASHINGTON – Hopes fading for Senate control, Democrats had a disappointing election night as Republicans swatted down an onslaught of challengers and fought to retain their fragile majority. Democrats contested seats from New England to the Deep South and the Midwest to the Mountain West, reaching deep into GOP strongholds. The Democrats' gains were in Colorado and Arizona, where former astronaut Mark Kelly beat GOP incumbent Martha McSally. Republican Cynthia Lummis, the former congresswoman from Wyoming, won the Senate seat being vacated by Republican Mike Enzi.

Loeffler smiled and nodded as Marjorie Taylor Greene praised her as “the most conservative Republican" running in Georgia's multi-candidate special election for the U.S. Senate seat Loeffler was appointed to 10 months ago. Her choice has many Republicans worried about how she'd fare in an anticipated January runoff election in a state where Republican dominance is slipping and victory could depend on more moderate voters and independents. Loeffler spokeswoman Caitlin O’Dea said Loeffler was not available to be interviewed for this story and declined to answer questions. “Loeffler and Collins are essentially running in a primary within a special election,” said Brian Robinson, a Republican strategist in Georgia. “Whoever emerges between Collins and Loeffler will then pivot the next day to a general election message and they’ll be talking about different topics,” Robinson said.

He has never held public office. Campaign website: dougforgeorgia.comJohn Fortuin - Green PartyA property manager with over 20 years in computer programming and analysis, John Fortuin has never held public office. Campaign website: graysonforga.com | Background: ballotpedia.org/Derrick_GraysonMichael Todd Greene - independentA former educator and resident of Mableton, Greene has never held public office. Campaign website: johnsonsenate.comTamara Johnson-Shealey - DemocratA businesswoman hailing from Gwinnett County, Johnson-Shealey previously ran for Georgia Senate in 2014, 2016 and 2018. Brian Kemp, Kelly Loeffler lives in Atlanta with husband Jeffrey Sprecher.

ATLANTA – Karen Handel is looking for Republicans to mobilize in Georgia’s 6th District, once an incubator of high-profile Republicans. But Democrat Lucy McBath, who unseated Handel in 2018, is trying to show that Atlanta’s wealthiest suburbs have changed. But McBath is hitting Handel with a range of attacks, with the most concerted sparring around health care. “My opponent's record on health care is absolutely dismal,” McBath said. “Right now we have a single-issue, completely disengaged member of Congress representing this congressional district,” Handel said.

COLUMBIA, S.C. With one stroke, President Donald Trumps abrupt reversal on offshore drilling this week has loosened a political vise that was tightening around three Republicans senators running for reelection in coastal states where drilling is widely opposed. Lindsey Graham of South Carolina and Kelly Loeffler and David Perdue of Georgia, all Democratic targets. Brian Kemp, another Trump ally, and his Republican predecessor, Nathan Deal, have opposed drilling off the state's 100-mile (160 km) coast. The decision by President Trump to include South Carolina meets the desires of our coastal communities and states leadership, Graham said. I very much appreciate President Trump for listening to our state and delivering for our people.___Ben Nadler in Atlanta contributed to this report.

The protesters began to chant Black lives matter! after one of them shouted questions critical of Loeffler's description of Black Lives Matter. Loeffler's tangle with Black Lives Matter had already made headlines last month in connection with her co-ownership of the WNBA's Atlanta Dream. The last words of Loeffler's never-completed speech to about 60 people discussed her brush with Black Lives Matter, with her saying I had to draw the line." When we're talking about Black Lives Matter, were not talking about some Marxist organization. Like we said, were talking about Black lives, like real Black Lives.

REUTERS/Chris Aluka Berry(Reuters) - Georgia Republican Governor Brian Kemp on Wednesday named conservative businesswoman Kelly Loeffler as the states next U.S. senator, picking her over U.S. President Donald Trumps preferred choice, Republican Representative Doug Collins. Loeffler, a self-described political outsider will replace Senator Johnny Isakson, who will retire at the end of the month. We took an unconventional approach to picking senator Isaksons replacement, Kemp told a news conference. Kemp likened Loeffler to the presidents daughter Ivanka and stressed her commitment to Trumps agenda in his appointment speech. Like our president, Kelly is ready to take on the status quo, the politically correct and the special interest, Kemp said.

Republican Senator Johnny Isakson delivered his official farewell address Tuesday afternoon on the floor of the U.S. Senate. Isakson also noted his admiration for and close friendship with Democratic Representative John Lewis, and reminded the gathered lawmakers of his own personal slogan: "friends and future friends." "Whether you're black or white, Republican or Democrat, whatever it might be, find a way to find common ground. "Bipartisanship will be a way you accomplish things, a way you live, a state of being. Senator Johnny Isakson, R-Georgia, walks to the Senate floor to give his farewell speech Tuesday, December 3, 2019, on Capitol Hill.

Brian Kemp 's choice of Kelly Loeffler, a political newcomer, defies fellow Republicans who had pushed him to choose Rep. Doug Collins , one of Trump's staunchest defenders in Congress. Loeffler will fill the seat of retiring Sen. Johnny Isakson , who is stepping down because of health issues. The Senate seat will be up for grabs again in November 2020 in an open-to-all special election for the final two years of Isakson's term. A Loeffler victory in 2020 would make her the first woman elected to the Senate from Georgia. In September, Kemp took the unusual step of opening an online application process for the Isakson Senate seat and asked everyone from congressmen to ordinary Georgians to apply.

ATLANTA - The former congressman for Georgia's coastal congressional district is the latest Republican to join the hunt to replace retiring GOP Sen. Johnny Isakson of Georgia. Jack Kingston announced Thursday that he submitted an application to Georgia Gov. Kingston, who lives in Savannah, represented Georgia's 1st Congressional District from 1993 to 2015, but lost a GOP runoff for Senate in 2014 to Sen. David Perdue. With a congressional impeachment inquiry looming, Kingston said he was a strident defender of President Donald Trump. Whoever Kemp appoints to the position will need to defend the seat in a November 2020 special election for the remaining two years of Isakson's term.

ATLANTA - The son of former U.S. senator and vice presidential candidate Joe Lieberman is the first Democrat to enter the race to replace retiring Republican Sen. Johnny Isakson of Georgia. Matt Lieberman said in a statement Thursday that he's running because he's "fed up with the do-nothing politicians who care more about getting re-elected than governing." A special election for the last two years of his term will be held in November 2020. Lieberman will likely be one of many candidates, including whomever Republican Gov. He made the announcement without the backing of party leaders, who are currently vetting candidates they hope Democrats can rally behind.

Brian Kemp seeking appointment to the U.S. Senate , Kemp spokesman Cody Hall confirmed Thursday. Price is an orthopedic surgeon from Atlanta's northern suburbs who represented Georgia's 6th Congressional District from 2005 to 2017, before stepping down to join President Donald Trump 's administration. He served for roughly seven months as health secretary before being forced out in September 2017 over the travel expenditures. Republican Sen. David Perdue of Georgia will also be on the ballot in 2020, seeking a second term. The two senate contests have ensured Georgia's status as a must-watch 2020 battleground.

(CNN) - Georgia Republican Sen. Johnny Isakson will resign at the end of year, he announced Wednesday, citing health concerns. I have informed Georgia Governor Brian Kemp today that I will resign my Senate seat effective December 31, 2019," Isakson said in a statement. "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," he added.

WASHINGTON - Georgia U.S. Sen. Johnny Isakson has been hospitalized after he fell and fractured four ribs. In a news release Wednesday evening, the senator's spokeswoman Amanda Maddox said the 74-year-old fell in his Washington apartment Tuesday night. Maddox says Isakson is "in pain, but resting and doing well." The Republican has been a senator since 2005. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Georgia Sen. Johnny Isakson says trade promotion authority won't give the president more power to change immigration policy