WASHINGTON D.C., DC — As Georgia mourns the passing of beloved former senator Johnny Isakson, lawmakers are cementing his legacy in Congress.
U.S. Sen. Rev. Raphael Warnock of Georgia introduced a resolution on the floor Wednesday, honoring the well-respected politician a day before he would be laid to rest.
The resolution "proclaims that Johnny Isakson represented the best of Georgia and honorably embodied friendship and decency during his more than 40 years of public service to Georgia and to the United States."
Isakson died at 76 last month, just days shy of his 77th birthday.
He served in the Georgia Air National Guard, was a graduate of the University of Georgia, and served in the state House and Senate. Isakson would shatter records with his political career in 2004, becoming the only Georgian to have ever been elected to the Georgia House of Representatives, the Georgia Senate and both Houses of Congress.
"During his tenure as a Senator, Johnny Isakson developed a reputation as a bipartisan leader who sought common ground," the resolution reads.
Isakson resigned from his Senate post in 2019 as he battled Parkinson's Disease with two years left in his term.
Warnock, and several other lawmakers backing the resolution, noted within the text that Isakson stepped down strongly advocating for bipartisan compromise and cooperation in the Senate.
"I'm big on bipartisanship. Whether you're Black or white, Republican or Democrat, whatever it might be, find a way to find common ground. Give it a chance to work...Bipartisanship is a state of being," the proclamation quotes Isakson's departure speech. Warnock nodding to Isakson's view of political division, which the late politician would often refer to as "friends and future friends."
The document requests the Senate and House to carry on Isakson's legacy and gift a copy to his family.
"When the Senate adjourns today, it stand adjourned as a further mark of respect to the memory of Johnny Isakson," the resolution reads.