Republican congressional candidate Peter Tedeschi toured the Vineyard and outlined his platform at the Old Whaling Church in Edgartown Saturday.
Mr. Tedeschi is running against four-term incumbent Bill Keating to represent the ninth Congressional district that includes the south shore and Cape and Islands.
He is the former chief executive officer Tedeschi Food Shops, a convenience store chain that his family started when they immigrated to the Massachusetts south shore from Italy just after 1900. He lives in Norwell with his wife and three children.
The trip to the Island was part of his campaign’s People’s First Tour, where he plans to meet with constituents in the district’s 46 towns.
Speaking to a small group on Saturay, he described himself as a centrist.
“I am fiscally very conservative, but socially I am moderate,” he said. “I’ll go against my own party. I’m willing to ruffle some feathers.”
Affordable housing, immigration and coastal resiliency were issues touched on during the talk and a question-and-answer period that followed.
“People can’t afford to work here,” he said, answering a question about affordable housing solutions. He said he would look for federal funding rather than raise taxes to finance projects.
Mr. Tedeschi called family separation at the U.S./Mexico border “heart wrenching” and called for an immigration policy where legal immigrants who pay taxes and don’t commit crimes, along with children brought over illegally, have a path to citizenship. He also said keeping the country safe remains a top priority, and stemming the flow of immigrants at the border is necessary.
“We need to secure our borders,” he said.
He said coastal towns make up 80 per cent of the district, and that he would like to work with the Army Corps of Engineers to improve infrastructure along the coast, along with seeking more federal funding.
Speaking to the Gazette following the event, Mr. Tedeschi sought to distance himself from President Trump, saying his views align more closely with Massachusetts Gov. Charlie Baker, who recently endorsed him. He said he supported the federal tax reform bill and believes health care is getting worse and more expensive under the Affordable Care Act.
He described his opponent Mr. Keating as a career politician with no business background.
He acknowledged that he could face an uphill battle in November, but said he wants to hear from all sides during his 46-town tour.
“I don’t want to be in an echo chamber,” Mr. Tedeschi said. “I didn’t come here for validation. I came here to learn.”
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