I first met Mark Keam at the National Asian Pacific American Bar Association national convention in Chicago in 2005. I was a third year law student at UChicago, and Mark was Chief Counsel to Senator Dick Durbin (who is one of the nicest, most genuine politicians I have ever met). After starting the Asian Americans for Obama effort, I was thrilled to discover that Mark had joined the Obama campaign in Virginia, a critical state where the AAPI vote could, and did, make a difference.

Today, I received an e-mail from Mark about his newest project - running for office himself to serve in the Virginia House of Delegates. Mark lives in Fairfax County in an increasingly Democratic district that also has a vibrant and growing AAPI community. Mark has a long record of fighting for progressive change, and I know he would be a great voice for all the people of his district in the General Assembly. Like Obama, Mark is running a grassroots campaign powered by small donations and passionate volunteers. Check out his e-mail below the fold for more information about his candidacy.

Friends, I want to let you know about an exciting adventure I have decided to pursue. I’m running for public office, to serve in Virginia’s House of Delegates!

As you may know, Virginia elects its state officials in odd number years. In 2009, we will be electing a new Governor, Lieutenant Governor and Attorney General, along with all 100 members of the lower chamber of the General Assembly. My current state representative, Democratic Delegate Steve Shannon, has decided to give up his seat to run for Attorney General (and he is running unopposed in the Democratic primary). So after long deliberations with family, friends and local supporters, I’ve decided to throw my hat in the ring.

Because the 35th House District — in the heart of Fairfax County — has now become a fairly reliable Democratic performing district, chances are good that we will keep this seat Democratic in the fall. Whoever wins the Democratic primary contest on June 9, 2009, will most likely end up being our next Delegate from the district.

Because this is a rare open elected seat in the county, the race has attracted at least four other candidates. They’re all good folks and I believe any one of us will be able to serve competently if elected. But of course, I believe I can win, and I will work harder than anyone to run a solid grassroots campaign of door knocking and organizing.

How you can help me???

* First, please visit my campaign website at http://www.markkeam.com and sign up to volunteer! Or just sign up to receive regular updates by “joining the Keam Team.” You can read about my background and some of the issues that are going to be important in this campaign. There’s also a Facebook link for my “politicians’ page” that you can join to support me online: http://www.facebook.com/home.php?#/pages/Mark-Keam/48684127513?ref=nf

* Second, please consider making a contribution to the cause! As with any campaign, I will need a lot of financial resources to run a strong professional organization. It costs money to lease office space, set up phone banks and cell phones, hook up computers, buy clipboards, mail out brochures, have coffee and donuts for volunteers, and of course, to hire staff. Even on the low end, I need to raise a six figure budget just to get through the primary election. And all of you know that I am NOT one of those independently wealthy candidates!

Would you reach into your pocket and make a donation to my campaign today?

I would be honored even if you could send me just $5, which will buy me enough brochures to introduce me to 5 households of voters.

The good news is that there are no maximum personal limits under Virginia law for how much anyone can contribute to a state campaign. So if you can afford more, I would be grateful if you donate $50, $100, $500, $1,000 or more!!! My website can take online credit card contributions, and checks can be mailed to my campaign P.O. Box indicated in the attached donation form which you will need to complete and return to me for legal purposes.

* Third, if you know anyone who lives in my district, please let them know about me and put in a good word! I would love to meet them personally so if you could help me with an intro, I would be most indebted to you. To help you identify people who might live in my district, visit my website at http://www.markkeam.com/district.htm.

* Finally, please feel free to forward this email to your friends and networks and ask that they follow the above three steps to help me win!

As my campaign gets going in earnest in the next few days, I will be sending out emails through my campaign website, so if you want to keep hearing from me about my campaign, please go online and sign up for updates. Thank you so much for your friendship, and I look forward to your continued support!

Mark Keam

Keam for Delegate
P.O. Box 1134
Vienna, VA 22183-1134
(703) 350-7377
info@markkeam.com