Washington, DC — Asian American Action Fund endorsee Mark Keam handily defeated three other challengers in the June 9 Democratic primary to represent the 35th District in the Virginia House of Delegates. The district lies in the heart of Fairfax County in northern Virginia.

"Mark's victory shows that his message is resonating with residents in Fairfax County," said Gautam Dutta, AAA-Fund Executive Director. "Mark has focused on issues close to voters, including improving transportation, maintaining high-quality public schools, and helping the community weather the economic downturn."

Keam won 55 percent of the vote in the primary. His nearest opponent, John Carroll, won 18 percent.

In endorsing Keam, the Washington Post said he had "a compelling life story" and an "impressive résumé."

The son of a Presbyterian minister, Keam was born in South Korea. His family moved to Vietnam and then fled after it fell to the Communists. They later settled in California, where his father started a church and his mother worked on a factory assembly line.

In Congress, Keam served as Chief Counsel for Illinois Senator Richard Durbin on the Senate Judiciary Committee. He was also an enforcement trial attorney at the Federal Communications Commission and later worked as a policy advocate at the Small Business Administration.

Keam took a lead role in organizing President Barack Obama's presidential campaign in Virginia, helping to found the grassroots organization "Fairfax for Obama." For his leadership, he was elected to attend the Democratic National Convention in Denver as an at-large pledged Obama delegate.

The general election will be held on November 3. If elected, Keam would become the first Asian American to serve in the House of Delegates. Asian Americans make up 10 percent of the District.

Keam is currently an Advisory Board Member for AAA-Fund.

AAA-Fund is a Democratic political action committee whose goal is to increase the voice of Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders (AAPIs) on every level of local, state and federal government in America. To achieve this goal, we address the chronic under-representation of AAPIs as campaign volunteers, campaign contributors, and candidates for political office. The AAA-Fund has endorsed candidates across the country.