Georgia's DUI Guy Josh McKay Lost His State Senate Race

Photo: Josh McKay

Last month, we reported that a candidate for Georgia’s State Senate was on the board of an organization that advocates for weaker drunk driving laws. Fast forward to now: The election is over, the votes have been counted, and Josh McKay has officially lost. Georgia’s 11 Alive reports that his opponent, Nabilah Islam, won with 53 percent of the vote.

To his credit, McKay didn’t contest the results, saying in a statement, “I woke up to some bittersweet news this morning: I’m happy that I can now return my full focus to my students and my family but sad for the people of SD7, who will not have a seat at the table for the next two years. Many thanks to all of you who supported me on this journey!”

Islam, who controversially believes drunk driving is bad, is also the first Muslim woman and the youngest woman ever to be elected to Georgia’s State Senate. She also does not sit on the board of the NMA.

It’s unlikely that Georgia would have actually passed weaker drunk driving laws had McKay been elected. But it’s still a bad look for a district to elect someone who sits on the board of an organization that releases statements such as, “You can nanny people all you want. But many people have to decide for themselves how much they can take when they drive, like distracted driving.”

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The fact that the NMA, as we wrote in our previous post, “is also against laws banning drivers from using cell phones while driving, having speed bumps in neighborhoods, and adding bike lanes to streets,” was also probably more than a little concerning to voters in Georgia’s seventh district. It’s certainly concerning to us.

At a time when road deaths in this country continue to increase while other countries get safer, and pedestrian deaths are at a 40-year high, the idea of deciding to just trust drivers not to get too drunk before they drive, not speed in residential areas, and not use their cell phones too much while driving is absolutely absurd.

Congratulations, Nabilah, and great job Georgia SD-7 voters.