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Georgia lawmakers share bipartisan embrace on House floor

Rep. Tom Graves, left, Sen. Johnny Isakson, middle, Rep. John Lewis, right, sit on the House floor during a tribute to the Georgia senator Tuesday. (Screenshot via House Recording Studio)
Rep. Tom Graves, left, Sen. Johnny Isakson, middle, Rep. John Lewis, right, sit on the House floor during a tribute to the Georgia senator Tuesday. (Screenshot via House Recording Studio)

While impeachment hearings consumed the Capitol on Tuesday, about 1,000 feet away there was a rare sight: A senator listening to speeches on the House floor.

But Sen. Johnny Isakson, R-Ga., wasn’t on the wrong side of the Capitol —the speeches were about him. Thirteen members of the House delegation from Georgia shared stories of how they first met the senator, moments that exemplified bipartisanship and more in an hour-long tribute organized by Rep. Austin Scott, R-Ga.

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Though a number of the tributes were emotional and heartfelt, it was a speech from Rep. John Lewis, D-Ga., that stood out. After 11 minutes where Lewis lauded Isakson’s tenure as bipartisan and even-handed, the chamber paused for the Democrat to make his way across the aisle and embrace the Republican senator in a hug.

Isakson announced in August that he plans to step down from his Senate seat at the end of the year.

You can watch the full tribute from the House floor here.

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