A staff member of Georgia Sen. Kelly Loeffler was killed in an automobile accident on Friday, forcing her and Gov. Brian Kemp to cancel their participation in a rally with Vice President Mike Pence in Savannah.
Harrison Deal, 20, died in a three-vehicle crash on Interstate 16, 14 miles west of Savannah, The Atlanta Journal Constitution reported.
In a Twitter post, Loeffler called Deal a ''beloved member of our campaign team.''
A former intern of Georgia’s other senator, David Perdue, Deal also was a close family friend of Kemp and his wife, Marty.
''Harrison was the Kemp son and brother we never had,'' Kemp wrote in a statement posted on Twitter.
''2020 has been marked by adversity, tragedy and pain. For the Kemp Family, weathering this storm will be the most difficult challenge yet.''
Perdue, likewise, expressed his condolences.
''Harrison was a smart, kind young man with a bright future ahead of him, and he is gone too soon,'' Perdue wrote.
Both Loeffler and Perdue are facing Jan. 5 runoff elections for their Senate seats, Loeffler against Raphael Warnock and Perdue against Jon Ossoff.
Warnock, a Democrat, and Loeffler, a Republican, finished with the most votes in a field of 20 candidates. Perdue, also a Republican, bested Ossoff, his Democratic opponent, just missing the more than 50% needed to avoid a runoff.