Hurst entered politics following the high-profile 2015 on-air murders of his fiancee, Alison Parker, and her co-worker, Adam Ward. He made gun control one of his top legislative priorities.[2] In 2021, he was defeated for reelection by Jason Ballard.
In 2024, Hurst returned to TV news as a reporter for WTSP-TV in St. Petersburg, Florida. Writing about himself on his WTSP bio page, he mentioned that he returned to the air at WDBJ-TV soon after the shooting-deaths of his then-girlfriend Alison Parker and photographer Adam Ward, helping to guide the community through its collective grief and gaining recognition for his "admirable openness in the aftermath, including being named Roanoker of the Year by Roanoker Magazine."[3]
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.[6]
During his first legislative term, Hurst had 15 bills signed into law.[12]
Hurst served as the Chair of the General Laws - Professions/Occupations and Administrative Process Subcommittee.[13]
In 2018, the Virginia League of Conservation Voters presented Hurst with the 2018 Legislative Award.[14] In 2019, Hurst introduced a bill to guarantee free speech protection to student journalists, but it failed a subcommittee vote.[15]
He won reelection in 2019, defeating Republican challenger Forrest Hite.[8][16]
On January 26, 2020, Hurst was pulled over for a traffic stop; he was found to have a blood alcohol content (BAC) level of .085, which is over the legal limit, and was detained and released with a warning in Christiansburg, Virginia.[17]
On November 1, 2021, Hurst was issued a notification by Radford police for driving without a license on November 1, 2021, after he and a passenger in his car were witnessed tampering with opponent campaign signs.[18][19] He apologized for the incident, remarking that he "flipped over a couple of yard signs, took them, put them upside down and then put them right side up".[20]
On November 2, 2021, Hurst lost his seat in the Virginia House of Delegates to his GOP opponent, PearisburgCity CouncilmanJason Ballard, who carried 55.2% of the vote.[21]
Political positions
Environment
Hurst 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.[22]
Transportation
He worked with the Northam administration and colleagues across the aisle to pass a transportation package that would fund improvements for Interstate 81.[12]
ABC laws in dry localities
Hurst 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.[23]
Electoral history
Date
Election
Candidate
Party
Votes
%
Virginia House of Delegates, Radford, Giles, Montgomery, Pulaski district
.jpg)