WASHINGTON — Senator Johnny Isakson, Republican of Georgia, announced on Wednesday that he will resign from his seat at the end of the year, citing health reasons for the decision.
His retirement sets the stage for two potentially competitive Senate races in Georgia, a state that Democrats have increasingly targeted, during a presidential election year. Mr. Isakson’s colleague, Senator David Perdue, is also a Republican and up for re-election. Republicans have held both of Georgia’s Senate seats since Mr. Isakson took office in 2005.
Mr. Isakson cited the toll from a number of health complications, including the progression of his Parkinson’s disease, a fall last month and surgery this week to remove a growth on his kidney, for “leaving a job I love” before the end of his term.
“It goes against every fiber of my being to leave in the middle of my Senate term,” Mr. Isakson said in a statement on Wednesday, adding that his “health challenges are taking their toll on me, my family and my staff.”
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Mr. Isakson is the fifth senator to announce retirement ahead of the 2020 elections. Three other Republicans, Senators Michael B. Enzi of Wyoming, Pat Roberts of Kansas and Lamar Alexander of Tennessee, and one Democrat, Senator Tom Udall of New Mexico, have all previously announced their intentions to step down.
A party official said that the person appointed to Mr. Isakson’s seat will have to compete in a primary ahead of a special election in 2020, meaning that both Georgia Senate seats will be on the same ballot.
