| Vienna Town Council member Edythe Kelleher dropped out of the crowded primary to replace Delegate Steve Shannon, citing unspecified health reasons. Kelleher's exit leaves four candidates: Mark Keam, Roy Baldwin, John Carroll, and Esam Omeish.
Kelleher has yet to endorse any of the remaining four, and it is unclear what will happen to her campaign treasury. It seems likely to me she'll simply roll it into her town council campaign account.
In a primary like this, it's tough to give any kind of clear-headed analysis. Kelleher's exit is especially great news for Mark Keam. Keam will draw strong support from the 35th District's large Asian population, which ranks 9th among House of Delegates districts at 12%, in addition to strong connections to grassroots activists that helped get Barack Obama nominated and elected. Whether Kelleher's Vienna base will move to Keam is unclear, but even if Baldwin, Omeish, and Carroll were to split Kelleher's base, I am still willing to put Keam in the lead.
Kenton Ngo supports Mark Keam, but is not on the payroll, so go ahead and pour on the salt now. |
