Conestoga High School graduate Chris Hurst, a Democrat, is running for office in a deeply divided region of largely-Republican Virginia, with the hope of taking its House of Delegates out of Republican control, writes Gregory Schneider for The Washington Post.

Hurst grew up in Chester County, where, with his father, he built a television set at their home so he could stage talk shows.

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This led to Hurst doing newscasts on the public-access channel of Conestoga High School. He then graduated from Emerson College in Boston, before officially going “on air” with WDBJ in Roanoke, Va., anchoring the evening news.

But two years ago, tragedy struck when Hurst’s fiancée, Alison Parker, and cameraman Adam Ward were killed on live television by a former colleague.

In the face of such heartbreak, Hurst still supports the right to bear arms, but wants to ensure guns are kept out of the hands of children and domestic violence offenders.

“I came through the other side believing that I wanted to stay here and give back to the people who gave me such strength and support when I needed it,” he said.

Read more about Chris Hurst’s bid for office in The Washington Post here.