Tomorrow, at approximately 2:30pm, Senator Johnny Isakson will give his farewell address to the U.S. Senate. It will mark the end of a remarkable public service career of the last founding father of Georgia’s modern Republican party. The address can be seen on CSPAN 2 or on the Senate website.
On Wednesday, Governor Kemp will formally announce what has been semi-public for days. Per multiple media reports, the Governor will tap businesswoman Kelly Loeffler to fill Isakson’s unexpired term at 10am. Per Georgia law, Loeffler must then stand for election in November of 2020 to complete that term, and would then presumably run for a full six-year term again in 2022.
It is widely expected that Loeffler will see an intra-party challenge, but there’s plenty of time to get to this new chapter and the statewide implications of the appointment and the winds of change. First and foremost, tomorrow is Senator Isakson’s day.