The Gist: Gov. Brian Kemp announced today that he is opening an application process to fill the soon-to-be-vacated U.S. Senate seat currently occupied by Johnny Isakson.
In Case You Missed It: Johnny Isakson announced last month that he would be resigning from the Senate due to health reasons in December. When a Senator resigns, Georgia law states that the governor gets to appoint a senator.
The appointee would fill the seat until the next general election on Nov. 3, 2020. While that is a short term, the appointee would have the advantage of running in 2020 as the incumbent, assuming they choose to run for the seat.
Why an application process?: Kemp says this method will keep his appointment of a U.S. Senator.
“To ensure an open and transparent appointment process, I am encouraging all Georgians who want to serve in the U.S. Senate to submit their name and qualifications,” Kemp said. “We will carefully vet the applicants and choose a person who best reflects our values, our state, and our vision for the future.”
Who can apply?: Any Georgian who meets the requirements to be a U.S. Senator. Those requirements are set by the United States Constitution and are as follows:
“No Person shall be a Senator who shall not have attained to the Age of thirty Years, and been nine Years a Citizen of the United States, and who shall not, when elected, be an Inhabitant of that State for which he shall be chosen.”
How to apply?: The Governor’s office has made this just as easy as applying to any other job. Just upload your resume’ and fill out the form here.
