Chris Hurst (Virginia politician)

Chris Hurst (born July 9, 1987) is an American journalist, former news anchor and politician of the Democratic Party serving as a Delegate in the Virginia House of Delegates for the state's 12th district.

Chris Hurst
Member of the Virginia House of Delegates
from the 12th district
Assumed office
January 10, 2018 (2018-01-10)
Preceded byJoseph R. Yost
Personal details
Born (1987-07-09) July 9, 1987[1]
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, U.S.
Political partyDemocratic
Alma materEmerson College (BA)
OccupationJournalist, politician
CommitteesScience and Technology
Education

Hurst entered politics after the high-profile 2015 on-air murder of his girlfriend, Alison Parker, and made gun control one of his top legislative priorities.[2]

Early 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.[3]

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.[4]

Hurst entered politics in the aftermath of the 2015 on-air murder of his girlfriend, Alison Parker.[2] In February 2017, he left his job and lived on his savings to run for the Virginia House of Delegates.[5] In the race, Hurst was endorsed by Everytown for Gun Safety (the only House of Delegates candidate to receive the endorsement),[6] while his opponent, incumbent Delegate Joseph R. Yost, had an A rating from the NRA.[7] Hurst also ran on LGBT rights,[7] education, mental health,[6] and Medicaid expansion.[8]

Hurst defeated Yost in the November 2017 election, receiving 54.3% of the vote.[8] Hurst won reelection in 2019, defeating Republican challenger Forrest Hite.[9][6]

During his first legislative term, Hurst had 15 bills signed into law.[10]

Hurst currently serves as the Chair of the General Laws - Professions/Occupations and Administrative Process Subcommittee.[11]

Political positions

Environment

Hurst has 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.[12]

Transportation

Additionally, Hurst has played an active role working with the Northam administration and colleagues across the aisle to pass a transportation package that would fund improvements for Interstate 81.[13]

Alcohol

Hurst also 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.[14] On January 26, 2020, Hurst was pulled over in Christiansburg, Virginia under suspicion of intoxicated driving. He failed a field breath test with a BAC level of .085 which is above the legal limit in Virginia and was not arrested.[15] The Christiansburg Police Department opened an internal investigation following this incident.[16]

Electoral History
DateElectionCandidatePartyVotes%
Virginia House of Delegates, Radford, Giles, Montgomery, Pulaski district
Virginia House of Delegates, 12th district
Nov 7, 2017[17] General Joseph R. Yost Republican 10,458 45.5
Chris Hurst Democratic 12,495 54.4
Write Ins 36 0.2
Nov 5, 2019[18] General Chris Hurst Democratic 11,113 53.56
Forrest Hite Republican 9,642 46.39
Write Ins 11 0.05
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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. 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. https://votesmart.org/candidate/biography/176544/chris-hurst#.XbnCU8YxXIU Chris Hurst]. Votesmart.
  4. 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.
  5. Forman, Carmen; Korth, Robby. "Chris Hurst upsets Del. Joseph Yost in New River Valley race". Roanoke Times. Retrieved April 27, 2018.
  6. 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. Retrieved November 16, 2017.
  7. Beckett, Lois (November 8, 2017). "Chris Hurst, whose girlfriend died in live TV shooting, beats NRA candidate in Virginia". The Guardian. Retrieved April 27, 2018.
  8. Tatum, Sophie (November 8, 2017). "Ex-TV anchor Chris Hurst wins race for Virginia house". CNN. Retrieved April 27, 2018.
  9. andrew.adkins@roanoke.com 981-3334, Andrew Adkins. "Hurst reelected in 12th House District". Roanoke Times. Retrieved November 9, 2019.
  10. 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.
  11. "House of Delegates Subcommittees". virginiageneralassembly.gov. Retrieved May 27, 2020.
  12. 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.
  13. 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.
  14. Friedenberger, Amy (January 30, 2019). "Legislation to loosen liquor by the drink law leads to sharp debate". The Roanoke Times. Retrieved October 31, 2019.
  15. Times, Mike Gangloff and Amy Friedenberger The Roanoke. "Hurst detained, released from traffic stop". Roanoke Times. Retrieved January 29, 2020.
  16. staff, WDBJ7 news. "Christiansburg police launch internal investigation after delegate's traffic stop". www.whsv.com. Retrieved February 3, 2020.
  17. "Virginia Elections Database » 2017 House of Delegates General Election District 12". Virginia Elections Database. Retrieved November 9, 2019.
  18. "Virginia Election Results: November 5, 2019". The Virginia Public Access Project. Retrieved November 9, 2019.
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