Election Day was on November 6th and it came with a wave of changes across the country, some wins and some losses.
Even in non-presidential election years, election day remains very important for local towns and governances as well. The people who are elected have a very tangible effect on the lives of those in their districts. As the old saying goes: the personal is political. That statement was particularly true this year for one race in Virginia.
Chris Hurst won a seat in the Virginia House of Delegates—but the journey there was a particularly painful one.
The journey began in 2015 in Roanoke, Virginia.
Hurst was once a journalist for WDBJ, a local news station in Roanoke. He worked there with his then girlfriend, Allison Park, who as another on-air journalist. For those who remember, Park briefly became a figure in the national media related to gun violence. That’s because during a live broadcast, Park and her cameraman, Adam Ward, were shot by a gunman.
The attack resulted in the loss of both of their lives.
While the results of the experience were undoubtedly traumatic, they also inspired Hurst to take action.
Although the election was Hurst’s first time running and his opponent was Joseph R. Yost, the incumbent who had won the past three terms, Hurt won in a narrow victory with 54.3% of the vote. Still, Hurst was emphatic in the news that his campaign was not solely related to issues of gun violence. Instead, he hoped to take on an entire range of issues to help others in the state.
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Despite the victory, however, Hurst said that the victory was a bittersweet one.
In an interview on MSNBC, Hurst wasn’t sure how to explain his feelings about the course life had taken:
“I haven’t been able to give much thought to [it] . . . but it certainly is very bittersweet. Obviously, I wish that I was still with Alison, was still a journalist working at the television station that we worked at together but that wasn’t the plan that God had intended for me and for her.”
Despite all the difficulties, however, Hurst is determined to carry on and to do his best for the citizens of Virginia.
Although the pain of the loss still lingers for Hurst, he remains determined to transform that energy into something positive—not only for himself, but those in his community as well.
Congratulations on the victory, Chris!
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