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Chris Hurst (Virginia politician)

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Chris Hurst
Chris Hurst on election day (2017-11-07) at the polling station of Margaret Beeks Elementary School in Blacksburg, VA
Member of the Virginia House of Delegates
from the 12th district
In office
January 10, 2018 (2018-01-10) – January 12, 2022
Preceded byJoseph R. Yost
Succeeded byJason Ballard
Personal details
Born
Christopher Laird Hurst

(1987-07-09) July 9, 1987 (age 37)[1]
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, U.S.
Political partyDemocratic
EducationEmerson College (BA)
OccupationJournalist, politician

Christopher Laird Hurst (born July 9, 1987) is an American journalist, former news anchor and former member of the Virginia House of Delegates for the state's 12th district.

Hurst entered politics following the high-profile 2015 on-air murders of his fiancee, Alison Parker, and her co-worker, Adam Ward. He made gun control one of his top legislative priorities.[2] In 2021, he was defeated for reelection by Jason Ballard.

In 2024, Hurst returned to TV news as a reporter for WTSP-TV in St. Petersburg, Florida. Writing about himself on his WTSP bio page, he mentioned that he returned to the air at WDBJ-TV soon after the shooting-deaths of his then-girlfriend Alison Parker and photographer Adam Ward, helping to guide the community through its collective grief and gaining recognition for his "admirable openness in the aftermath, including being named Roanoker of the Year by Roanoker Magazine."[3]

Personal life and education

Hurst was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. He attended Emerson College from 2006 to 2009, earning a Bachelor of Arts degree in Broadcast Journalism.[4][5]

Career

Hurst began his career as a journalist for WDBJ in Roanoke, Virginia. He became an anchor for WDBJ at 22, which the station claimed made him the youngest anchor in the country.[6]

Hurst entered politics in the aftermath of the 2015 on-air murder of his fiancee, Alison Parker.[2]

In February 2017, he left his job and lived on his savings to run for the Virginia House of Delegates.[7] In the race, Hurst was endorsed by Everytown for Gun Safety (the only House of Delegates candidate to receive the endorsement),[8] while his opponent, incumbent Delegate Joseph R. Yost, had an "A" rating and endorsement from the NRA Political Victory Fund.[9][10] Hurst also ran on LGBT rights,[10] education, mental health,[8] and Medicaid expansion.[11]

Hurst defeated Yost in the November 2017 election, receiving 54.4% of the vote.[11]

During his first legislative term, Hurst had 15 bills signed into law.[12]

Hurst served as the Chair of the General Laws - Professions/Occupations and Administrative Process Subcommittee.[13]

In 2018, the Virginia League of Conservation Voters presented Hurst with the 2018 Legislative Award.[14] In 2019, Hurst introduced a bill to guarantee free speech protection to student journalists, but it failed a subcommittee vote.[15] He won reelection in 2019, defeating Republican challenger Forrest Hite.[8][16]

On January 26, 2020, Hurst was pulled over for a traffic stop; he was found to have a blood alcohol content (BAC) level of .085, which is over the legal limit, and was detained and released with a warning in Christiansburg, Virginia.[17]

On November 1, 2021, Hurst was issued a notification by Radford police for driving without a license on November 1, 2021, after he and a passenger in his car were witnessed tampering with opponent campaign signs.[18][19] He apologized for the incident, remarking that he "flipped over a couple of yard signs, took them, put them upside down and then put them right side up".[20]

On November 2, 2021, Hurst lost his seat in the Virginia House of Delegates to his GOP opponent, Pearisburg City Councilman Jason Ballard, who carried 55.2% of the vote.[21]

Political positions

Environment

Hurst worked to delay the construction of the controversial Mountain Valley Pipeline to ensure the project adheres to safety and environmental regulations and has pushed for property rights protections.[22]

Transportation

He worked with the Northam administration and colleagues across the aisle to pass a transportation package that would fund improvements for Interstate 81.[12]

ABC laws in dry localities

Hurst helped pass a law that will flip Virginia's remaining “dry” localities to “wet.” He said the law will help businesses that want to sell liquor by the drink avoid the tedious process of getting permission from the legislature to do so, and that it will contribute to economic growth.[23]

Electoral history

Date Election Candidate Party Votes %
Virginia House of Delegates, Radford, Giles, Montgomery, Pulaski district
Virginia House of Delegates, 12th district
November 7, 2017[24] General Joseph R. Yost Republican 10,458 45.5
Chris Hurst Democratic 12,495 54.4
Write Ins 36 0.2
November 5, 2019[25] General Chris Hurst Democratic 11,113 53.56
Forrest Hite Republican 9,642 46.39
Write Ins 11 0.05
November 2, 2021[26] General Chris Hurst Democratic 11,148 44.44
Jason Ballard Republican 13,849 55.21
Write Ins 88 0.35

References

  1. ^ Wynter, Dontei (November 8, 2017). "Chris Hurst Wiki: Girlfriend's Murder & 4 Facts about the Former News Anchor". Earn the Necklace. Retrieved November 9, 2017.
  2. ^ a b Boyfriend of reporter killed on live TV aims to unseat NRA-endorsed lawmaker, by Lois Beckett, at the Guardian; published February 22, 2017. Retrieved November 8, 2017
  3. ^ "Chris Hurst". wtsp.com. January 19, 2024. Retrieved September 3, 2024.
  4. ^ "Chris Hurst". Votesmart.
  5. ^ Moran, Robert (August 26, 2015). "Boyfriend and fiance of TV shooting victims grew up in area". The Philadelphia Inquirer.
  6. ^ Schneider, Gregory S. (August 24, 2017). "In a polarized Virginia district, differences between the Republican and the Democrat may surprise you". The Washington Post. ISSN 0190-8286. Retrieved April 27, 2018.
  7. ^ Forman, Carmen; Korth, Robby. "Chris Hurst upsets Del. Joseph Yost in New River Valley race". Roanoke Times. Archived from the original on November 8, 2017. Retrieved April 27, 2018.(subscription required)
  8. ^ a b c Engel Bromwich, Jonah (November 8, 2017). "Chris Hurst, Whose Girlfriend Was Fatally Shot on Air, Defeats N.R.A.-Backed Opponent". The New York Times. Archived from the original on November 8, 2017. Retrieved November 16, 2017.(subscription required)
  9. ^ "NRA-PVF | Grades | Virginia". nrapvf.org. NRA-PVF. Archived from the original on November 9, 2017.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link)
  10. ^ a b Beckett, Lois (November 8, 2017). "Chris Hurst, whose girlfriend died in live TV shooting, beats NRA candidate in Virginia". The Guardian. Archived from the original on November 8, 2017. Retrieved April 27, 2018.
  11. ^ a b Tatum, Sophie (November 8, 2017). "Ex-TV anchor Chris Hurst wins race for Virginia house". CNN. Retrieved April 27, 2018.
  12. ^ a b Friedenberger, Amy (October 25, 2019). "In New River Valley, Del. Chris Hurst faces Forrest Hite and Rhonda Seltz opposes Del. Nick Rush". The Roanoke Times. Retrieved October 31, 2019.
  13. ^ "House of Delegates Subcommittees". virginiageneralassembly.gov. Retrieved May 27, 2020.
  14. ^ Friedenberger, Amy (October 4, 2018). "Blue Ridge Caucus: Del. Chris Hurst honored for pipeline opposition efforts". Roanoke Times. Retrieved November 3, 2020.
  15. ^ Mattingly, Justin (January 28, 2019). "House subcommittee kills student censorship bill". Richmond Times-Dispatch. Retrieved November 3, 2020.
  16. ^ andrew.adkins@roanoke.com 981-3334, Andrew Adkins (November 5, 2019). "Hurst reelected in 12th House District". Roanoke Times. Retrieved November 9, 2019.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  17. ^ "'I am not above the law'; Va. lawmaker apologizes for suspected DUI". WSET. January 29, 2020. Retrieved November 3, 2020.
  18. ^ "Sheriff: Del. Chris Hurst issued notification for license suspension after campaign sign incident Sheriff: Del. Chris Hurst issued notification for license suspension after campaign sign incident", The Roanoke Times
  19. ^ Davila, Rachel Lucas, Sydney Jaxtheimer, Jazmine Otey, Samantha Smith, Alexus (November 2, 2021). "Del. Chris Hurst pulled over after passenger allegedly takes campaign signs". WSLS. Retrieved November 5, 2021.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  20. ^ Thomas, Will. "VA Del. Chris Hurst breaks silence on campaign sign incident". wdbj7.com. Archived from the original on November 3, 2021. Retrieved November 18, 2021.
  21. ^ "Virginia Election Results: November 2". The Virginia Public Access Project.
  22. ^ Hammack, Laurence (October 11, 2019). "Mountain Valley Pipeline to pay $2.15 million in lawsuit over environmental problems". The Roanoke Times. Retrieved October 31, 2019.
  23. ^ Friedenberger, Amy (January 30, 2019). "Legislation to loosen liquor by the drink law leads to sharp debate". The Roanoke Times. Retrieved October 31, 2019.
  24. ^ "Virginia Elections Database » 2017 House of Delegates General Election District 12". Virginia Elections Database. Retrieved November 9, 2019.
  25. ^ "Virginia Election Results: November 5, 2019". The Virginia Public Access Project. Retrieved November 9, 2019.
  26. ^ "2021 November General: November 2, 2021". virginia.gov. Archived from the original on February 5, 2022. Retrieved November 2, 2021.
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