After His Girlfriend Was Killed, Chris Hurst Ran For Office on Sensible Gun Control — and Won

Two years ago, Chris Hurst lost his girlfriend, Alison Parker, to gun violence. Yesterday, he won a seat in Virginia's House of Delegates, defeating a candidate backed by the NRA.

Two years ago, he lost his girlfriend to gun violence. Yesterday, hewon a seat in Virginia's House of Delegates, defeating a candidate backed by the NRA.

In the summer of 2015, Chris Hurst andAlison Parker were just beginning their lives together. The two had met through work at WDBJ7, a CBS television station in Roanoke, Virginia, where Hurst was a news anchor and Parker a reporter. Though they had only been together a few months, they were planning their future together. They leased a condo and moved in together; Hurst gave Parker a promise ring, knowing that someday, when she was ready, he would marry her.

Then, she was gone.

On Aug. 26, 2015, Parker was reporting live, interviewing a local Chamber of Commerce executive, when a gunman shot her and her cameraman, Adam Ward, killing both. The story quickly gained national attention after the killer, a disgruntled former news station employee, posted video of the shooting on social media before turning the gun on himself.

Hurst's life was turned upside down, the one who reported on crime was now the crime victim. As a local news anchor, he was the face of the community's grief while grieving himself. He became a poster child of sorts for bereaved partners.

Having both worked and lived with Parker, memories of her were everywhere. Hurst would not forget her and he made sure no one else would either, incorporating her memory into newscasts and newsreels, finishing her unfinished stories. Aprofile in the Washington Post from November 2015, just months after the shooting, describes him prepping a hospice series, one Parker had started before her death.

“I’m Chris Hurst,” he says into the camera. “Tonight at six, we see the life of a hospice patient and learn why Alison Parker wanted to tell the hospice story.”

Though his news career was fulfilling, Hurst says onhis campaign website, asking questions wasn't enough anymore. "I became focused on finding solutions." Hurst decided to leave journalism and run for office.

He campaigned for the Virginia House of Delegates as [...] In 2015, I was just beginning a new life with my late girlfriend, Alison Parker," reads the About Me section ofHurst's site. "Your continued prayers and support now give me the strength to move forward and be a courageous fighter for all Virginians."