Mark Keam
Encyclopedia
Mark Lee Keam is a member of the Virginia House of Delegates
in the United States. A Democrat
, he has represented the 35th District since 2009. His district encompasses a portion of Fairfax County, including the town of Vienna, Virginia
, where he resides.
He was born in Seoul
, South Korea
and has lived in Vietnam
, Australia
and California
, at different times of his life. He was formerly an aide on Capitol Hill, and was an executive with Verizon Communications
until he left in 2009 to run for the Virginia General Assembly
.
in 1975. After a brief time living in Australia, he and his family eventually settled in Orange County, California
. To help support his family, he worked odd jobs, from construction to collecting shopping carts from a retail parking lot. He received a Political Science degree from the University of California at Irvine and later earned a law degree from Hastings College of the Law.
Keam served as Senator Richard Durbin's chief counsel on the Senate Judiciary Committee from 2001 to 2007, when he left to join Verizon Communications
as a Vice President and Counsel. In 2009, he took an unpaid leave of absence to run for the Virginia General Assembly
.
, the Democratic incumbent, did not seek reelection in the 35th district in order to run (unsuccessfully) for Attorney General of Virginia
. Keam declared his intention to run for the seat. On Election day
Mark Keam defeated Republican
challenger James E. Hyland. He was sworn into office on January 13, 2010 at the State Capitol in Richmond, Virginia
.
In February 2010, Keam and fellow freshman delegate James LeMunyon
, a Republican
, authored an op-ed in The Washington Post
about their introduction of a bill to the General Assembly
, which would attempt make the voting records of General Assembly
members more accessible to the public. The bill passed the House of Delegates
86 to 13 earlier that month. A State Senate committee carried the bill over for a year, and it has not yet been voted on.
He told a local newspaper in his district in January 2010 that he can legislate from an immigrant's point of view; saying that "I want to be able to speak on issues where people say, ‘I’ve never met an immigrant in my life; I don’t know what you guys think about it,’... I want to be able to say, ‘Well, let me tell you what they think about it.’" He has also sponsored another bill which would raise the number of ESL
, or "English as a second language" teachers in Virginia’s schools from 17 full-time positions to 30 full-time positions for every 1,000 students.
Keam says he will abstain from voting on any bill which would pose a conflict of interest
due to him being on an unpaid leave of absence from Verizon Communications
, and he will not introduce any telecommunications legislation to the House of Delegates
.
Keam is one of only two Asian-Americans in the House of Delegates.
!
! Subject
! Party
! Votes
! %
!
! Opponent
! Party
! Votes
! %
!
|-
|2009
||
| |Mark L. Keam
| |Democratic
| |12,592
| |50.7
|
| |James E. Hyland
| |Republican
| |12,246
| |49.3
|colspan=5|
Despite the landslide victory of Republican gubernatorial candidate Robert McDonnell in the Governor's race
, James Hyland was not able to take advantage of McDonnell's victory and was defeated by only 350 votes.
Virginia House of Delegates
The Virginia House of Delegates is the lower house of the Virginia General Assembly. It has 100 members elected for terms of two years; unlike most states, these elections take place during odd-numbered years. The House is presided over by the Speaker of the House, who is elected from among the...
in the United States. A Democrat
Democratic Party (United States)
The Democratic Party is one of two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Republican Party. The party's socially liberal and progressive platform is largely considered center-left in the U.S. political spectrum. The party has the lengthiest record of continuous...
, he has represented the 35th District since 2009. His district encompasses a portion of Fairfax County, including the town of Vienna, Virginia
Vienna, Virginia
Vienna is a town in Fairfax County, Virginia, United States. As of the 2010 United States Census, it had a population of 15,687. Significantly more people live in zip codes with the Vienna postal addresses bordered approximately by Interstate 66 on the south, Interstate 495 on the east, Route 7 to...
, where he resides.
He was born in Seoul
Seoul
Seoul , officially the Seoul Special City, is the capital and largest metropolis of South Korea. A megacity with a population of over 10 million, it is the largest city proper in the OECD developed world...
, South Korea
South Korea
The Republic of Korea , , is a sovereign state in East Asia, located on the southern portion of the Korean Peninsula. It is neighbored by the People's Republic of China to the west, Japan to the east, North Korea to the north, and the East China Sea and Republic of China to the south...
and has lived in Vietnam
Vietnam
Vietnam – sometimes spelled Viet Nam , officially the Socialist Republic of Vietnam – is the easternmost country on the Indochina Peninsula in Southeast Asia. It is bordered by China to the north, Laos to the northwest, Cambodia to the southwest, and the South China Sea –...
, Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
and California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
, at different times of his life. He was formerly an aide on Capitol Hill, and was an executive with Verizon Communications
Verizon Communications
Verizon Communications Inc. is a global broadband and telecommunications company and a component of the Dow Jones Industrial Average...
until he left in 2009 to run for the Virginia General Assembly
Virginia General Assembly
The Virginia General Assembly is the legislative body of the Commonwealth of Virginia, and the oldest legislative body in the Western Hemisphere, established on July 30, 1619. The General Assembly is a bicameral body consisting of a lower house, the Virginia House of Delegates, with 100 members,...
.
Early life
Keam was born to a Presbyterian minister in Seoul, South Korea, in 1966. His family later founded a church in Vietnam, before fleeing when the country fell to CommunismCommunism
Communism is a social, political and economic ideology that aims at the establishment of a classless, moneyless, revolutionary and stateless socialist society structured upon common ownership of the means of production...
in 1975. After a brief time living in Australia, he and his family eventually settled in Orange County, California
Orange County, California
Orange County is a county in the U.S. state of California. Its county seat is Santa Ana. As of the 2010 census, its population was 3,010,232, up from 2,846,293 at the 2000 census, making it the third most populous county in California, behind Los Angeles County and San Diego County...
. To help support his family, he worked odd jobs, from construction to collecting shopping carts from a retail parking lot. He received a Political Science degree from the University of California at Irvine and later earned a law degree from Hastings College of the Law.
Keam served as Senator Richard Durbin's chief counsel on the Senate Judiciary Committee from 2001 to 2007, when he left to join Verizon Communications
Verizon Communications
Verizon Communications Inc. is a global broadband and telecommunications company and a component of the Dow Jones Industrial Average...
as a Vice President and Counsel. In 2009, he took an unpaid leave of absence to run for the Virginia General Assembly
Virginia General Assembly
The Virginia General Assembly is the legislative body of the Commonwealth of Virginia, and the oldest legislative body in the Western Hemisphere, established on July 30, 1619. The General Assembly is a bicameral body consisting of a lower house, the Virginia House of Delegates, with 100 members,...
.
House of Delegates
In 2009, Delegate Steve ShannonSteve Shannon
Stephen C. Shannon is an American politician. From 2004 to 2009, Shannon represented Virginia’s 35th District in the Virginia House of Delegates. He was the 2009 Democratic nominee for Attorney General of Virginia...
, the Democratic incumbent, did not seek reelection in the 35th district in order to run (unsuccessfully) for Attorney General of Virginia
Attorney General of Virginia
The Attorney General of Virginia is an executive office in the Government of Virginia. Attorneys General are elected for a four-year term in the year following a presidential election . There are no term limits restricting the number of terms someone can serve as Attorney General...
. Keam declared his intention to run for the seat. On Election day
Virginia elections, 2009
The following offices were up for election in the United States Commonwealth of Virginia in the November 2009 general election:*Three statewide offices – Governor, Lieutenant Governor, Attorney General – for four-year terms...
Mark Keam defeated Republican
Republican Party (United States)
The Republican Party is one of the two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Democratic Party. Founded by anti-slavery expansion activists in 1854, it is often called the GOP . The party's platform generally reflects American conservatism in the U.S...
challenger James E. Hyland. He was sworn into office on January 13, 2010 at the State Capitol in Richmond, Virginia
Richmond, Virginia
Richmond is the capital of the Commonwealth of Virginia, in the United States. It is an independent city and not part of any county. Richmond is the center of the Richmond Metropolitan Statistical Area and the Greater Richmond area...
.
In February 2010, Keam and fellow freshman delegate James LeMunyon
James LeMunyon
James M. "Jim" LeMunyon is a Republican delegate to the Virginia House of Delegates in the 67th District. He defeated incumbent Democrat Chuck Caputo on November 3, 2009. LeMunyon is a self-described technology entrepreneur, and he served as a U.S. Deputy Assistant Secretary of Commerce from...
, a Republican
Republican Party (United States)
The Republican Party is one of the two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Democratic Party. Founded by anti-slavery expansion activists in 1854, it is often called the GOP . The party's platform generally reflects American conservatism in the U.S...
, authored an op-ed in The Washington Post
The Washington Post
The Washington Post is Washington, D.C.'s largest newspaper and its oldest still-existing paper, founded in 1877. Located in the capital of the United States, The Post has a particular emphasis on national politics. D.C., Maryland, and Virginia editions are printed for daily circulation...
about their introduction of a bill to the General Assembly
Virginia General Assembly
The Virginia General Assembly is the legislative body of the Commonwealth of Virginia, and the oldest legislative body in the Western Hemisphere, established on July 30, 1619. The General Assembly is a bicameral body consisting of a lower house, the Virginia House of Delegates, with 100 members,...
, which would attempt make the voting records of General Assembly
Virginia General Assembly
The Virginia General Assembly is the legislative body of the Commonwealth of Virginia, and the oldest legislative body in the Western Hemisphere, established on July 30, 1619. The General Assembly is a bicameral body consisting of a lower house, the Virginia House of Delegates, with 100 members,...
members more accessible to the public. The bill passed the House of Delegates
Virginia House of Delegates
The Virginia House of Delegates is the lower house of the Virginia General Assembly. It has 100 members elected for terms of two years; unlike most states, these elections take place during odd-numbered years. The House is presided over by the Speaker of the House, who is elected from among the...
86 to 13 earlier that month. A State Senate committee carried the bill over for a year, and it has not yet been voted on.
He told a local newspaper in his district in January 2010 that he can legislate from an immigrant's point of view; saying that "I want to be able to speak on issues where people say, ‘I’ve never met an immigrant in my life; I don’t know what you guys think about it,’... I want to be able to say, ‘Well, let me tell you what they think about it.’" He has also sponsored another bill which would raise the number of ESL
ESL
ESL is a common abbreviation for English as a Second Language, see English language learning and teaching.ESL may also refer to:-Companies:...
, or "English as a second language" teachers in Virginia’s schools from 17 full-time positions to 30 full-time positions for every 1,000 students.
Keam says he will abstain from voting on any bill which would pose a conflict of interest
Conflict of interest
A conflict of interest occurs when an individual or organization is involved in multiple interests, one of which could possibly corrupt the motivation for an act in the other....
due to him being on an unpaid leave of absence from Verizon Communications
Verizon Communications
Verizon Communications Inc. is a global broadband and telecommunications company and a component of the Dow Jones Industrial Average...
, and he will not introduce any telecommunications legislation to the House of Delegates
Virginia House of Delegates
The Virginia House of Delegates is the lower house of the Virginia General Assembly. It has 100 members elected for terms of two years; unlike most states, these elections take place during odd-numbered years. The House is presided over by the Speaker of the House, who is elected from among the...
.
Keam is one of only two Asian-Americans in the House of Delegates.
Electoral history
! Year!
! Subject
! Party
! Votes
! %
!
! Opponent
! Party
! Votes
! %
!
|-
|2009
Virginia House of Delegates elections, 2009
2009 Elections to the Virginia House of Delegates were held on November 3, 2009. Prior to the election, Republicans held 53 seats, Democrats held 43 seats, and Independents held 2 seats...
||
| |Mark L. Keam
| |Democratic
Democratic Party (United States)
The Democratic Party is one of two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Republican Party. The party's socially liberal and progressive platform is largely considered center-left in the U.S. political spectrum. The party has the lengthiest record of continuous...
| |12,592
| |50.7
|
| |James E. Hyland
| |Republican
Republican Party (United States)
The Republican Party is one of the two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Democratic Party. Founded by anti-slavery expansion activists in 1854, it is often called the GOP . The party's platform generally reflects American conservatism in the U.S...
| |12,246
| |49.3
|colspan=5|
Despite the landslide victory of Republican gubernatorial candidate Robert McDonnell in the Governor's race
Virginia gubernatorial election, 2009
The Virginia gubernatorial election of 2009 took place on November 3, 2009. The election chose Bob McDonnell as the next Governor, Bill Bolling re-elected as Lieutenant Governor, and Ken Cuccinelli as the next Attorney General of the Commonwealth of Virginia. The winners were inaugurated on January...
, James Hyland was not able to take advantage of McDonnell's victory and was defeated by only 350 votes.
External links
- Mark Keam campaign site
- Virginia House of Delegates official Bio
- Mark Keam on Facebook
- Biography on Korean American Democrats of Virginia