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- A 20-year-old Senator Kelly Loeffler campaign staff member was killed in a three-vehicle crash in Georgia on Friday morning.
- Harrison Deal was also a former intern of GOP Senator David Perdue and a close family friend of Georgia Governor Brian Kemp.
- It is not clear whether the 20-year-old was in campaign duties at the time of the crash.
- The crash preceded a campaign event featuring Vice President Mike Pence, who described Deal as “a truly wonderful young man.”
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Georgia Senator Kelly Loeffler’s 20-year-old campaign staff member died in a car crash Friday ahead of a campaign event hosted by Vice President Mike Pence.
The young man has been identified as Harrison Deal. He was killed in a three-vehicle crash on Interstate 16 at Pooler Friday morning.
It is not clear whether he was in campaign duties at the time of the crash.
Deal, who was due to graduate from the University of Georgia in 2022, was also a former intern of GOP Senator David Perdue and a close family friend of Georgia Governor Brian Kemp.
In a Friday tweet, Kemp posted a photo of Deal with his family alongside a statement describing the 20-year-old as “the Kemp son and brother we never had.”
Loeffler also mourned the death of his young employee, go to twitter to remember him as a “smart, bright, loving, loyal and exceptional young man” who was a “beloved member of our campaign team”.
—Governor Brian P. Kemp (@GovKemp) December 4, 2020
The incident happened before Pence’s rally in Savannah on Friday afternoon.
The vice president was visiting the state to convince Loeffler and Perdue, who face a decisive run-off against Democratic candidates Raphael Warnock and Jon Ossoff on January 5.
If the Republicans lose both races, the Senate will be split 50-50 and Vice President-elect Kamala Harris will break the ties.
President Trump is also expected to visit the state on Saturday for an evening rally.
Loeffler and Kemp missed the rally, with Kemp’s spokesperson citing a “family emergency” on Twitter.
In his opening address on Friday, Pence called Deal a “truly wonderful young man” before asking the crowd to bow their heads in prayer.
“Before we begin, I know we have all just been informed that a young man on Senator Loeffler’s staff lost his life in a fatal car crash this afternoon,” the vice president said, according to Fox. News. “Senator Loeffler is on his way back to Atlanta to support this young man’s family and his staff. She accompanies our prayers.”
Pooler police have not disclosed the exact cause of the crash and are continuing to investigate. A spokesperson told the Atlanta Journal that others involved in the wreckage suffered minor injuries and received treatment at the scene.
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