ATLANTA — A member of Sen. Kelly Loeffer's campaign team has died.
Loeffer tweeted about Harrison Deal's death Friday afternoon.
"It is with an extremely heavy heart that we mourn the loss of Harrison Deal," the tweet reads. "My heart aches for his family, and Jeff and I will continue to surround them in love and prayer in the days ahead."
She described Deal as "smart, bright, loving, loyal, and outstanding." She asked other Georgians to join her in praying for Deal's family.
Loeffer was scheduled to be in Savannah Thursday afternoon for a "Defend the Majority Rally" with Vice President Mike Pence.
However, she did not attend. The vice president said during the rally that Loeffer's campaign member was in a fatal crash and that she was on her way back to Atlanta to support his family.
Gov. Brian Kemp also tweeted about Deal's death. He posted a photo and a statement saying he's lost a member of the "'Kemp Strong' family".
He said Deal was a person of deep faith and integrity.
"Harrison was the Kemp son and brother we never had," he said.
The governor said this death would be one of his families' most difficult challenges of 2020.
The governor did not attend the rally as well. His communications director, Cody Hall, tweeted that Kemp would not be there as planned due to an emergency.
Loeffler's Democratic opponent in the upcoming Senate runoff election, Rev. Raphael Warnock, pastor of Atlanta's Ebenezer Baptist Church, offered his prayers for Deal's family and friends in a tweet late Friday afternoon.
"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 all Georgians to join me in offering condolences to his loved ones," Warnock said.
Sen. David Perdue also issued a statement about Deal's death:
Bonnie and I are devastated to learn of the passing of Harrison Deal, a young man from Bulloch County. Harrison interned in my Atlanta office in the summer of 2019, and was currently working as a field representative for Senator Loeffler’s campaign. He was a member of the University of Georgia Class of 2022. Harrison was a smart, kind young man with a bright future ahead of him, and he is gone too soon.
“We are praying for his parents, Curt and Jenni Deal, and his sisters, Hannah and Halli. I ask the people of Georgia to join us in keeping the entire Deal family in their hearts on this terrible day.”
Perdue's opponent in the Senate runoff, Democratic candidate Jon Ossoff, also offered his condolences to Loeffler and Deal's family for their loss.
"Young people are the core of each and every one of our campaigns. The loss of this young life is a tragedy," Ossoff said. "Senator Loeffler: my condolences to you, your team, and Harrison's family."