BEST OF LUCK

Father of Reporter Murdered on Live TV Will Run for Congress in Virginia

Andy Parker will challenge Rep. Bob Good, a Republican and fierce gun-rights advocate, in a district that has leaned conservative for more than ten years.

The father of a journalist who was killed during a live television broadcast in 2015 has announced a bid for Congress. Andy Parker, a longtime gun-control advocate, said Thursday he would run as a Democrat to unseat Rep. Bob Good (R-VA), a fixture at right-wing rallies who denounced the “phony pandemic” in late 2020. The fight will take place in Virginia’s 5th congressional district, which has consistently elected Republican representatives since 2010. Frustrated by attempts to get Facebook and other social media platforms to take down reposted videos of Alison Parker’s violent on-camera slaying, Parker has said his campaign will “champion” social media reform. In particular, he will look to change Section 230, a law that protects social media companies from accountability over the content they host on their platforms. Parker said he was well-equipped for a long-shot run. “There’s no candidate that I’m aware of running for Congress that has a running mate,” he said Thursday. “Well, I do. And she’s going to be with me every step of the way.”