MARIETTA, Ga. — For many, Senator Johnny Isakson was an inspirational colleague and a political titan. To former Georgia Governor Roy Barnes, he was so much more.
"I was out campaigning one day and we immediately hit it off. We’d be laughing and cutting up, we always had a great time together," he told 11Alive's Karys Belger.
The two met while campaigning in the 1970's. Barnes said it was the beginning of a friendship that lasted more than 50 years. While serving together in local government, Barnes remembers the two were always able to find common ground.
"We worked on many things together which was somewhat unique in that he was a Republican and I was a Democrat and I often say that if more Republicans were like Johnny I’d be a Republican and he’d reply to me if all Democrats were like you, I’d be a Democrat," Barnes said.
Their Bond continued for decades, even when Barnes became governor of Georgia and Isakson went on to serve the Peach State in the House of Representatives and later the Senate.
"He’d give me suggestions. He’d say, 'You might try this,' and I’d do the same thing for him, but we were really of a very similar mindset," Barnes said.
The advice was something Barnes said he could always rely on. He mentioned Isakson's constant support during numerous political challenges, like altering the flag of the State of Georgia.
"He said, 'You're doing the right thing. I know you're catching fits over it', and he came out and supported me," Barnes said.
The two continued to stay in touch even as Isakson's health began to decline. Barnes said he called Isakson a few weeks before he passed. He told 11Alive the most important thing to remember about Senator Johnny Isakson was his dedication to serving people in the present and those who would come in the future.
"Johnny Isakson taught all of us how we could worry about the next generation," Barnes said.