Lights mounted on the tops of Tucson Police cruisers in a parking lot outside of the department's headquarters.
John McLean, the democratic challenger for Legislative District 17’s senate seat, died in a car crash Friday morning.
Police say McLean was driving eastbound on Broadway Blvd when 27-year-old Michael Martin Creel struck the passenger side of McLean’s car. The news release said Creel was going north on Ridgeside Dr. and failed to stop at a posted stop sign. According to officers at the scene, Creel was impaired at the time of the collision. Creel is now charged with manslaughter and Aggravated DUI and is being held at the Pima County Jail.
McLean was pronounced dead at the scene. The investigation is ongoing, but detectives have listed speed and impairment as contributing factors for the crash.
McLean was the Democratic candidate for the highly contested Tucson-area state Senate seat against Republican Vince Leach. Leach was declared the winner earlier this week.
"My thoughts and prayers are with the McLean family for their tragic loss today,” Leach said in a press release. “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.”
McLean was a third-generation Arizonan, who decided to run for office due to the overturning of Roe v. Wade. Before his political run, McLean created Arete Associates, a security firm. That business is credited with generating over $30 million in annual revenue, which his campaign said brought nearly $1 billion of economic activity to Southern Arizona.
“Throughout his campaign, John exemplified all the qualities of a great leader and person,” the Arizona Democratic Legislative Campaign Committee said in a press release. “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.”
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