Andy Parker, Father of Journalist Fatally Shot on Live TV, to Run for Congress

Andy Parker, a longtime gun control advocate and the father of a journalist who was fatally shot on live TV, announced Thursday that he is running for Congress.

"It's become clear over the last two years that southside Virginia lacks a common-sense voice in Washington," Parker said in a statement sent to Newsweek. "Instead of causing problems, I will work hard to fix them."

Parker will be running for the Democratic nomination in the 5th Congressional District in Virginia, which is represented by conservative Republican Bob Good, a supporter of gun rights. On his website Good states that "that the federal government may not infringe on the right of law-abiding citizens to keep and bear arms.".

For Parker, the issue of gun control is personal. In 2015, his 24-year-old daughter Alison a reporter at WDBJ7 and her colleague, photojournalist Adam Ward, were conducting a live TV segment when a gunman, who turned out to be a mentally-ill co-worker according to Parker's statement, fired several shots and killed them both.

"He's Virginia's version of Marjorie Taylor Greene," Parker said of Good in his statement. "I don't want, and I know the people of central and Southside Virginia don't want, someone in office that isn't respectable enough to represent them. I want to restore decency and common-sense leadership to the job."

Parker recently told CBS News that "this district is not being represented the way it should be" hoping that he would change that.

"Since Alison was killed, I've always tried to honor her life through action. Given the atmosphere we face right now, this is the time to jump in and make a difference," he added.

Parker will face former prosecutor Lewis Combs, owner of a cleaning service Joshua Throneburg, and farmer Warren McClellan in the Democratic primary.

A former member of the Henry County Board of Supervisors, Parker has advocated for the reform of gun rights since his daughter's death. But later, he also battled social media companies, calling for the reform of Section 230, a provision that protects social media platforms from lawsuits over posts of potentially harmful content.

Parker has been pushing back against YouTube and other social media companies for a few years to remove videos of his daughter's death. Battling social media giants continues to be his focus in his congressional bid.

"I'm running for Congress to limit the influence of giant tech companies and billionaires," Parker said in the statement. "To make the internet safer for kids and families and make the economy fairer for everyone."

He told CBS News that he is running for Congress to put "a stop to the abuse of social media."

"I don't want people to go through the same thing I went through. I tried working this effort as a private citizen, and I think if I could do it as a member of Congress, even though I'd be one of 400-plus members, I'd have a better chance of getting something done," he said.

In his battle against Google and Facebook, Parker argued that the social media giants are not doing enough to curb the spread of violent content, misinformation and conspiracy theories, including those involving his daughter's death, according to The Washington Post.

Consequently, he filed in 2020 a complaint with the Federal Trade Commission against those companies for keeping the videos showing his daughter's killing online. He also spoke about the issue in a Senate Judiciary Committee hearing where he requested changes to the Section 230 provision.

Parker now hopes that he could push for social media reform if he becomes a member of congress, according to CBS News.

"It's tough for anybody, for one out of four hundred plus members to do anything. But I think I've got a better chance at pushing that issue," he said, according to the news outlet.

Parker also has other objectives on his agenda if he becomes a member of Congress. This includes employing his "local government experience to help bring federal resources to the heart of Virginia."

"Charlottesville needs upgrades to its airport. Lynchburg has problems with
sewer overflow. The recently signed infrastructure bill gives us the opportunity to do great things if we work together in Washington," he said.

Two months after losing his daughter, Parker called for removing office officials who don't support stricter gun laws that would decrease violence.

"I don't know about you, but I'm tired of these lame condolences from politicians," he said in 2015 during his keynote address to the Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence and American Public Health Association National Summit in Washington, D.C. "We have reached a tipping point I believe, but it's up to us to encourage young voters, young people, disenfranchised voters, who think, 'You know, we can't make a difference,' to get out and vote."

Update 01/28/22, 5:45 p.m. ET: This story has been updated to include comments from Andy Parker.