Delegate Mark Keam To Resign, Take Biden Administration Role

VIENNA, VA — Del. Mark Keam, the first Asian-born immigrant and first Korean American elected to state office in Virginia, has resigned to fill a Biden administration position.

Keam shared the news in a message to the House Democratic Caucus. The delegate said he notified House Speaker Todd Gilbert and will not be attending the General Assembly special session this Wednesday. First elected in 2009, Keam (D-Fairfax) has represented the 35th House District, which includes the Town of Vienna and parts of Tysons, Oakton and Fair Lakes. The district has trended toward strongly blue, and Democrats have held the 35th House District seat since 2003.

As reported by the Associated Press, Keam will become an assistant deputy secretary for the National Travel and Tourism Office.

Fairfax County Democratic Committee Chair Bryan Graham released a statement in response to Keam's resignation.

"We thank Mark for more than a decade of public service in the House of Delegates and honor the history he made as the first Asian-born immigrant and the first Korean American elected to any state-level office in Virginia," Graham said. "While we wait to hear when the special election to replace Del. Keam will happen, [Fairfax County Democratic Committee] is formalizing its plans to operate an open and fair process to choose our nominee. We will ensure that a Democrat remains representing the people of Dunn Loring, Tysons, Vienna, and Oakton in the current 35th House District."

A special election for the seat is expected on Jan. 10. Annandale Today reported that candidates so far include Fairfax County School Board representative Karl Frisch and Holly Seibold, a former teacher who started a small business and founded Bringing Resources to Aid Women's Shelters (BRAWS).

All House of Delegates seats will be up for election in 2023. The 2023 election will put into effect new districts created through a mandated redistricting process after the 2020 U.S. Census. While the 35th House District will move to the Shenandoah Valley region, there will be several districts from areas of the current 35th House District. The 11th House District will include parts of Oakton, Fair Lakes and Fairfax City, while the 12th House District will cover the Town of Vienna, Tysons and parts of Dunn Loring/Merrifield and Mantua.