SAVANNAH, Georgia — Rep. Doug Collins (R-GA) appeared before a crowd at Vice President Mike Pence’s campaign rally for Sens. David Perdue (R-GA) and Kelly Loeffler (R-GA) on Friday and announced that Loeffler would not be in attendance because one of her staff members lost their life in an accident earlier in the day.
Loeffler released a statement shortly thereafter identifying the staff member as Harrison Deal. Deal’s LinkedIn page says he was a field staffer on the campaign and set to graduate from the University of Georgia in 2022.
Loeffler 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. 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.
Collins asked the crowd at the rally to bow their heads in prayer after announcing the tragedy. “Eternal God, we love you. … I pray for Sen. Loeffler’s staff. I pray for the family of the one that had been lost. I pray that you bring comfort and peace and understanding,” Collins said.
Perdue, who was also present at the rally, confirmed in a statement shortly after the event that Deal was a field representative for Loeffler’s campaign and student at the University of Georgia, and also said Deal had interned for him in Atlanta in the summer of 2019.
“Bonnie and I are devastated to learn of the passing of Harrison Deal, a young man from Bulloch County,” Perdue wrote. “Harrison was a smart, kind young man with a bright future ahead of him, and he is gone too soon.” Perdue added that he was praying for Deal’s family — his parents, Curt and Jenni Deal, and sisters, Hannah and Halli.
Later into the event, the accident was identified as a vehicle crash.
Write to Ashley Oliver at [email protected].
