ATLANTA — One of Georgia Sen. Kelly Loeffler's campaign staffers died Friday in a multivehicle crash in South Georgia, forcing her and Gov. Brian Kemp to cancel their plans to join Vice President Mike Pence in Savannah for a rally.
Loeffler's communications director issued a statement about Harrison Deal, a young aide who was also a close family friend of the Kemps.
"It is with an extremely heavy heart that we mourn the loss of Harrison Deal. My heart aches for his family, and (husband) Jeff (Sprecher) and I will continue to surround them in love and prayer in the days ahead. Harrison was a beloved member of our campaign team. More importantly, Harrison was a smart, bright, loving, loyal and outstanding young man. Harrison embodied the very best of this campaign — and the very best of our state."
Deal, 20, died in a three-vehicle crash on I-16 near Pooler Parkway around 10 a.m., according to Pooler police spokeswoman Lindsey Heintzman. Pooler is about 14 miles west of Savannah.
Kemp and his wife announced they were also canceling their plans of meeting with Pence in Savannah after they received the tragic news about Deal.
In a Twitter post, Kemp wrote, "Today, we lost a member of our 'Kemp Strong' family and words cannot express how much Harrison Deal's life, love and support meant to us. He was a person of deep faith, unmatched integrity, and incredible kindness. Harrison was the Kemp son and brother we never had."
Kemp, who has three daughters, added, "2020 has been marked by adversity, tragedy and pain. For the Kemp Family, weathering this storm will be the most difficult challenge yet."
Pooler police did not release the exact cause of the crash and are continuing to investigate, Heintzman said. She added that other passengers in Deal's vehicle suffered minor injuries and were treated at the scene.
Deal, a University of Georgia student, appears in multiple social media posts with members of the Kemp family. According to his Facebook page, he graduated from Bulloch Academy in Statesboro. His father, Curt, is a Bulloch County commissioner.
Pence was in Georgia on Friday for the second time in two weeks to stump for Republican runoff candidates, part of the all-out GOP push to convince rank-and-file voters to return to the polls ahead of the Jan. 5 vote to decide control of the U.S. Senate.
Before his scheduled Savannah rally in support of Loeffler and David Perdue, Pence met with coronavirus experts at Atlanta's Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
