Virginia Delegate Keam apologizes for remarks made about Chinese American politicians

Virginia House Delegate Mark Keam is offering his apologies  “to anyone who read my quote” and “who was offended” about his prediction for the first Asian American president.”

In an interview with the Korean Times and reported on by AsAmNews earlier today, Keam predicted a Korean American would be the first Asian American elected US President.

In explaining his answer, he said “Chinese-Americans have made a mark, but we have to consider the fact that there are at least twice as many Chinese as Koreans in the U.S.,” he said. “Their level of success has peaked out as there are no real prominent elected Chinese officials now.”

The remarks have apparently gone viral and Keam has sent AsAmNews a clarification.

“I want to clarify a quote that I think is out of context. I had a long conversation with the reporter, and I mentioned the Japanese American experiences that led them to being elected in the 1950s-80s. Then, the Chinese Americans became prominent in the 1960s-90s. I then said that I believe today, the Korean Americans (and Indian Americans) are following suit, and my prediction was that more Korean American politicians will be active for the next couple of decades, compared to other major East Asian groups since Korean immigration is increasing while the other two are not. I am well aware of numerous Chinese American and Japanese American political leaders who are in office today, and I would never say that they are not prominent. But in my interview, I was not focusing on any specific individuals, but rather, ethnic group as a whole. I regret that the article made it sound like I was dismissing Chinese American political leaders of today, which I certainly didn’t mean to. I’m very sorry if that’s the way I came off sounding, and I apologize to anyone who read my quote and was offended.”