Chris Hurst

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. 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. The Christiansburg Police Department opened an internal investigation following this incident.

Hurst defeated Republican incumbent Joseph R. Yost in the November 2017 election, receiving 54.3% of the vote. Hurst won reelection in 2019, defeating Republican challenger Forrest Hite.

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.

Hurst entered politics in the aftermath of the 2015 on-air murder of his girlfriend, Alison Parker. In February 2017 he left his job and lived on his savings to run for the House of Delegates in the 12th district. In the race, Hurst was endorsed by Everytown for Gun Safety (the only House of Delegates candidate to receive the endorsement), while his opponent Yost had an A rating from the NRA. Hurst also ran on LGBT rights, education, mental health, and Medicaid expansion.

Hurst attended Emerson College from 2006 to 2009, and obtained a B.A. in Broadcast Journalism.

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.