Georgia Senator Johnny Isakson has announced he has Parkinson’s disease. But the two-term Republican says he’ll continue his quest for re-election next year.

In a statement, Isakson says he was first diagnosed with Parkinson’s in 2013...but it was only a few months ago that he shared the news with his children and senior staff.

“I first went to see a neurologist in 2012 for stiffness in my left arm. I continued seeing the neurologist regularly to try to figure out the cause, and in 2013, I was diagnosed as having Parkinson’s. I am in the early stages of the disease, and my main symptoms are the stiffness in my left arm and a slowed, shuffling gait,” he said.

The 70-year-old says he’s in the early stages of the disease, and he’s fighting it with exercise, physical therapy, and medication.

Isakson will also press on with his re-election bid. The Senator says he’s eager to take his record to Georgia voters. “I am busier and have more responsibility today than ever before in my political career, and I couldn’t be happier about that. I remain devoted to public service, to my state and to my constituents. I am eager to take my record of results to the voters of Georgia as I run for re-election in 2016,” Isakson said.

His office also released a statement from his neurologist, Dr. Thomas Holmes. He says Isakson is fully capable of running for re-election and serving another term.

Isakson chairs two committees in the Senate and remains popular with Georgia voters. So far, he’s attracted no GOP primary challengers or Democratic opponents. An InsiderAdvantage/Morris News Service poll released last month put his approval rating at 71 percent among likely Republican primary voters.

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