University of Georgia student Harrison Deal, campaign staffer to Sen. Kelly Loeffler, killed in car wreck
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A University of Georgia student who was working as a field staffer on Sen. Kelly Loeffler's reelection campaign was killed in a car wreck Friday.
Harrison Deal, 20, who expected to graduate from UGA in 2022, worked in the Athens office for the Loeffler campaign.
Deal was killed about 10 a.m. in a fiery three-vehicle crash in the eastbound lane of Interstate 16 in Chatham County near Pooler Parkway, according to police. Three other people sustained minor injuries.
"It is with an extremely heavy heart that we mourn the loss of Harrison Deal. 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," Loeffler tweeted in response to the news.
Vice President Mike Pence informed a gathering in Savannah about the fatal crash, which caused Loeffler to cancel her plans to join Pence at the rally, according to a report in the Washington Times.
Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp, whose daughter Lucy Kemp said Deal was her "best friend," also canceled his plans to attend the Savannah rally.
The Kemp family said in a statement: “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 in integrity and incredible kindness. Harris was the Kemp son and brother we never had.”
Statement from the Kemp Family on the Passing of Harrison Deal: pic.twitter.com/l5uSWuo05H
— Governor Brian P. Kemp (@GovKemp) December 4, 2020
President Donald Trump offered his condolences to Deal's family during his rally for Loeffler and Sen. Perdue Saturday in Valdosta, Georgia, calling him "an incredible, magnificent young man.
"I just want to say our prayers are with his friends and loved ones, and we will keep his memory in our hearts," Trump said.
It is with an extremely heavy heart that we mourn the loss of Harrison Deal. 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.
— Kelly Loeffler (@KLoeffler) December 4, 2020
Raphael Warnock, the Democratic candidate opposing Loeffler in the Senate runoff, sent a tweet saying, “I pray for Harrison Deal, a young staffer for @KLoeffler’s campaign, and for his family, friends, co-workers and all those mourning his loss, and I ask Georgians to join me in offering condolences to his loved ones.”
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Statement from Lt. Governor Duncan’s Family on Tragic Loss of Harrison Deal pic.twitter.com/j1CjLOC8oA
— Geoff Duncan (@GeoffDuncanGA) December 4, 2020
Harrison was such an incredibly kind person. I’ll always cherish getting to know Harrison as a fraternity brother, a rising political star &, most importantly, a friend. Prayers for the Deal family, the Kemp’s, Team Loeffler and all who loved & knew Harrison. https://t.co/izWrVJ3glm
— Houston Gaines (@houstongaines) December 4, 2020
This article originally appeared on Athens Banner-Herald: Harrison Deal, UGA student, Kelly Loeffler staffer killed in car wreck
