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TUCSON, Ariz. – A Democratic candidate for the Arizona state Senate was killed when his vehicle was hit by a suspected drunk driver Friday morning, a day after he conceded the race to his GOP rival.
John McLean, 68, was driving a Toyota RAV4 in his hometown of Tucson at about 6 a.m. when a Ford Explorer failed to stop at a stop sign and struck McLean’s vehicle at a high rate of speed as it passed through an intersection, the Tucson Police Department said.
The driver of the Explorer, 27-year-old Michael Martin Creel, was not seriously injured and was arrested on suspicion of manslaughter and aggravated driving under the influence. He was booked into Pima County Jail.
An online search did not turn up an attorney who could speak on Creel’s behalf. The Associated Press did not receive an immediate response to a voicemail and email left with the Pima County Public Defender’s Office shortly before the close of business Friday.
The Pima County Democratic Party said in a statement that it was “heartbroken to hear of the tragic death of John McLean.”
“We got to know John on the campaign trail, but as a third generation Arizonan, he has long served Tucson,” the statement said. “John was a leader in Pima County even before he stepped up to better our state, and run for Arizona State Senate.”
