Title : Boyfriend of slain TV journalist elected in Virginia
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Boyfriend of slain TV journalist elected in Virginia
- Democrat Chris Hurst was elected to Virginia's House of Delegates on Tuesday
- He defeated GOP incumbent Joseph Yost and received 53.51 percent of the vote
- Hurst's girlfriend, Alison Parker, was fatally shot during a live broadcast in 2015
- Cameraman Adam Ward was also killed in the shooting in Roanoke
- Hurst announced in February that he was stepping down from his anchor job to run for political office
A former television news anchor whose reporter girlfriend was shot and killed during a live broadcast was elected to Virginia's House of Delegates on Tuesday.
Democrat Chris Hurst, 30, defeated Republican incumbent Joseph Yost, receiving 53.51 percent of the vote, and will represent Virginia's 12th House district in Richmond.
Hurst spent six years as a reporter for WDBJ-TV where he met Alison Parker, a 24-year-old reporter fatally shot during a live broadcast in August 2015.
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Former television news anchor Chris Hurst, 30 (pictured, right, Tuesday), whose reporter girlfriend was shot and killed during a live broadcast, was elected to Virginia's House of Delegates on Tuesday
Hurst (pictured, right, Tuesday) defeated Republican incumbent Joseph Yost, receiving 53.51 percent of the vote, and will represent Virginia's 12th House district in Richmond
Hurst (right) spent six years as a reporter for WDBJ-TV where he met Alison Parker (left), a 24-year-old reporter fatally shot during a live broadcast in August 2015
The shooting and his relationship with Parker catapulted Hurst into the national spotlight as the public face of the grieving Roanoke station.
A Pennsylvania native, Hurst quit his TV job and moved to Blacksburg in February to run for a statehouse seat after briefly considering a run for Congress.
Hurst's campaign was backed by gun-control groups, although the campaign issues he focused on were mainly education, health care and the environment.
The Roanoke Times reported that both candidates spent more than $1million on the race - making it one of the state's most expensive House of Delegates campaigns - with Hurst garnering support from donors in more than two dozen other states.
Parker was interviewing Vicki Gardner, the executive director of the Smith Mountain Lake Chamber of Commerce, at approximately 6.45am on a Wednesday morning (pictured) in 2015
That's when gunman Vester Lee Flanagan II approached and started shooting at the two women and cameraman Adam Ward (right). Parker (left) and Ward were pronounced dead at the scene
Parker was interviewing Vicki Gardner, the executive director of the Smith Mountain Lake Chamber of Commerce, at approximately 6.45am on a Wednesday morning when gunman Vester Lee Flanagan II approached and started shooting at the two women and camera man Adam Ward.
The interview was being aired live so tens of thousands of homes were tuned in as the massacre unfolded.
Parker and Ward, 27, were pronounced dead at the scene but Gardner, 41, survived after suffering a bullet wound to her back.
Gunman Vester Lee Flanagan II (pictured) was a former coworker of Parker and Ward, and a former on-air reporter for WDBJ
After the attack, gunman Flanagan fled the Smith Mountain Lake area in his Ford Mustang. He switched that car for one he rented a month earlier at the airport and then headed east.
While being pursued by police, Flanagan, who was a former coworker of both Parker and Ward, posted several tweets detailing his grudges against the two victims as well as a graphic video showing his point of view during the murders.
Police finally cornered Flanagan about five hours later and he committed suicide.
'Because of you, this community, and your love and support, I have been able to face each day with the hope that it does get better,' Hurst told his viewers during his final broadcast in February.
'You held my hand as I walked through the wilderness, and I'm connected more to humanity than I ever thought possible. For that, I thank you.'
Parker's parents have also stated new interest in public policy following the murder of their daughter.
Calling it his 'mission in life', Parker's father told Fox News that he would fight for gun legislation that closes loopholes and ensures background checks.
In the wake of the shooting, Virginia Governor Terry McAuliffe called for stricter gun laws, restating his support for background checks.
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