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Who was Harrison Deal? Sen Kelly Loeffler's 20-year-old campaign staffer killed in car crash ahead of Pence rally

20-year-old Harrison Deal, who was on the campaign team of Senator Kelly Loeffler died in a crash involving three vehicles in Pooler, Georgia, around 10 am on December 4

A Georgia senator's aide who was killed in a car crash on Friday, December 4, is being mourned by state lawmakers. The 20-year-old aide, Harrison Deal, who was on the campaign team of Senator Kelly Loeffler (R-GA) died in a crash involving three vehicles in Pooler, Georgia, around 10 am on Friday, December 4, according to a WBTV report.

Three different cars were involved in the crash and caught fire injuring three other people apart from Deal, who was treated on the scene. It is not clear whether Deal was performing campaign duties at the time of the accident. Deal was a former intern for GOP Sen David Perdue and a close family friend of Georgia Gov Brian Kemp. He was due to graduate from the University of Georgia in 2022.

With a heavy heart, Loeffler paid tribute to her late staffer on Twitter. "It is with an extremely heavy heart that we mourn the loss of Harrison Deal," Loeffler wrote on social media in a series of tweets.

"My heart aches for his family, and Jeff 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. We will forever cherish and honor Harrison’s memory, and I ask every Georgian to join us in praying for his family during this difficult time."

Following Deal's death, Loeffler missed out on appearing at a rally with Mike Pence in Savannah on Friday, December 4.

Kemp called Deal an honorary member of his family, grieving with a statement shared on Twitter. "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," the governor and his family said. "Harrison was the Kemp son and brother we never had."

"Our prayers are with the Deal family — and countless others — as they mourn the tragic loss of Harrison. He brought people together and made everyone feel important and special," the statement continued. "2020 has been marked by adversity, tragedy, and pain. For the Kemp family, weathering this storm will be the most difficult challenge yet." 

Kemp also decided to skip Biden's Savannah event in the wake of the staffer's death. His communications director tweeted on Friday that the governor would not be able to greet the president-elect as previously planned because of a "family emergency." "Due to a family emergency, @GovKemp
and @GAFirstLady will not be able to greet the Vice President in Savannah today as planned. #gapol" the tweet said. 

Lieutenant Governor Geoff Duncan also described Deal in a statement as "an energetic young man of character," and said he was an older brother figure to his own son, Parker. "Harrison always displayed a generous heart and Parker considered him not only a close friend, but a mentor as well," the statement said. "As a family, we join Parker in mourning the loss of a great friend. Our thoughts are with his family, the Kemp family, and Loeffler campaign family."