In anti-establishment year, Johnny Isakson forges own path
WASHINGTON -- Many of Johnny Isakson's Senate colleagues are contorting themselves politically in order to survive this unpredictable and anti-establishment election year, but it's a different story for Georgia's two-term senator.
A walking, talking embodiment of the Georgia GOP establishment, Isakson is operating as he has for years, even during a political season in which Donald Trump swept the state's Republican presidential primary by more than 14 percentage points.
“My father used to tell me: ‘Don’t try and be something you aren’t. You’ll screw it up,’ ” Isakson said in an interview. “I’ve always tried to be me, and regardless of what I’m doing, whether it’s the job I had in my business or whether it’s being a father or a United States senator, I try to be a predictable, reliable person so everybody knows where I am and where I stand.”
That’s been to the chagrin of Democrats and tea party-aligned groups, who were not able to field big-name challengers to the longtime GOP fixture.
About the Author
Tamar Hallerman is an award-winning senior reporter for The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. She covers the Fulton County election interference case and co-hosts the Breakdown podcast.
