Arizona District 17 Senate Candidate John McLean (D) was killed in an early morning car crash today by a driver charged with DUI. The incident occurred on Broadway Blvd., a major thoroughfare near the Eastern edge of Tucson, around 6 a.m. today. 27-year-old Michael Martin Creel allegedly blew through a stop sign at a high rate of speed in a 2018 Ford Explorer, striking McLean’s 2019 Toyota Rav4. Medical personnel declared McLean dead at the scene. Police arrested the minorly injured Creel at the scene on DUI and speeding charges. He is currently being held at the Pima County Jail.

McLean, a third-generation Arizonan, had lived in Pima County for over 30 years, where he opened a division of Arete Associates, a national security technologies company, employing 75 people and generating $30M in annual revenue. He had stated that it was the overturning of Roe v Wade that prompted him to run for political office. He narrowly lost his bid for the District 17 Senate seat to Republican Venden “Vince” Leach (R) by about 3000 votes.

Leach released a statement today, saying, “My thoughts and prayers are with the McLean family for their tragic loss today,” Leach said. “John was a good man who conducted himself honorably as a candidate. My deepest condolences go out to John’s family and friends in this most difficult time. As a third-generation Arizonan, the lives John positively touched during his life are incalculable, and we should all be so fortunate to do the same.”

Arizona State Senator and Minority Leader Priya Sundareshan (D-18) released a statement, saying, “I’m grieving the fact that we’ve lost a wonderful candidate and wonderful man, someone who was so cheerful in putting in the hard work to run a very significant campaign,” Sundareshan said. “He retired and he remained engaged in the community with all those organizations, supporting animals, and then wanted to make that bigger difference.”

The Arizona Democratic Legislative Campaign Committee also released a statement, writing, “Thoughout his campaign, John exemplified all the qualities of a great leader. He focused on listening and learning, with his kindness and generosity always shining through. Running for public office was just the most recent way John McLean stepped up for his community. Whether as a business leader, volunteer or humanitarian for the causes he was passionate about, John always did the hard work of bringing people together to serve the common good.”