Eli Sherman Wicked Local @Eli_Sherman

Tuesday

Oct 16, 2018 at 7:00 AM Oct 16, 2018 at 6:38 PM

U.S. Rep. William Keating says most people are familiar with the Ninth Congressional District because of its robust Cape Cod summer tourist industry.

"What people don’t understand much about our district are the challenges we have," he said. "They don’t understand that the people who live here year-round, especially in the seasonal areas, have to stitch together two or three jobs just to get by."

Keating, a Democrat from Bourne, is running for re-election Nov. 6 against Republican challenger Peter Tedeschi, a lifelong South Shore resident and former president and CEO of Tedeschi Food Shops, which was acquired by 7-Eleven Inc. in 2015.

Tedeschi, of Marshfield, said he also sees a host of challenges in the district and is tired of what he describes as "partisan nonsense" in Washington, D.C.

"You can complain about it or do something about it, and I’ve decided to do something about it," Tedeschi said.

The Ninth District is the southeastern-most district in Massachusetts. It runs from Norwell in the north to Nantucket in the south, and extends from Fall River in the west to Provincetown on the outermost tip of Cape Cod.

Beyond tourism, the district is known for its marine and fishing industries, along with cutting-edge research centers, including the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, and budding underwater-technology industry along the South Coast.

Its population is slightly older and largely white, but includes some ethnic diversity led by the largest percentage of Portuguese Americans in the country.

Keating

Keating's campaign has been raising the alarm on what he says is an attack on health care, an issue that disproportionately affects a district where the population is older than the rest of the state and nation.

"This is the most important election of my lifetime for the United States," Keating said. "Among the most important issues – if not the most important – is what’s happening to our health care and our health-care security."

He pointed to the repeated attacks on the Affordable Care Act, popularly known as Obamacare, led by Trump and the Republican members of Congress.

He said weakening the regulatory groundwork set by the health care law, coupled with new policies that promote lower standards of care, will have long and possibly irreparable consequences on the future cost and quality of the overall system.

He also said the tax reform law passed in 2017 is poised to add trillions of dollars to the national debt and cast doubt over future funding for Medicaid, Medicare and Social Security.

"This is the most serious issue confronting us that people haven’t quite come to grips with," Keating said.

Beyond health, Keating said he’s doing everything in his power to mitigate the effects of Trump’s foreign goods tariffs on the local economy. He touted a recent victory, saying he worked with European friends and colleagues to prevent retaliatory tariffs on cranberries.

"We shouldn't have to have these fights," he said. "Our office is contacted by all these different companies trying to get exemptions from these tariffs. These propositions are lose-lose."

Keating criticized Tedeschi for his support of federal tax reform and said his opponent's position on health care is "all wrong."

"Those areas are our key areas of difference," Keating said.

Tedeschi

Tedeschi, 58, said he wasn't enamored by his options in the 2016 election, but voted for President Donald Trump and supports many Republican policies, including greater border security to stem the flow of drugs, including fentanyl and heroin, from entering the country. But he denounces the practice of separating families at the border, he said.

The Republican said he could be convinced to fund the construction of a wall along the United States-Mexico border, and would entertain other solutions.

Tedeschi’s stance on some other issues, however, split from others in his party, including the president. With 80 percent of the Ninth District located along the coast, he said he is concerned about climate change and rising sea levels.

He criticized Trump’s 2017 decision to withdraw from the Paris Climate Accord, a multinational agreement to reduce greenhouse-gas emissions.

"I personally don’t believe we should have left it," he said. "I believe improving green energy is how we improve global warming, and I’m encouraged by what’s happening with the wind farms off the coast of New Bedford and Fall River. It’s a job creator, it creates green energy and reduces our dependence on foreign oil."

Massachusetts recently awarded a contract to Vineyard Wind to building 800 megawatts of offshore wind capacity off the South Coast.

Beyond energy and the environment, Tedeschi is promising to advocate for the fishing industry. He criticized the Northeast Canyons and Seamounts Marine National Monument created by former President Barack Obama in 2016. The first-ever national marine monument in the Atlantic restricts fishing about 130 miles south of Cape Cod at a time when government should be supporting the industry, Tedeschi said.

"We’re talking about families trying to put food on the table," he said.

Tedeschi said he doesn't believe his opponent has done enough for the fishing industry. "I don’t think he’s a bad guy, I just don’t think he’s doing a good job representing our district and we deserve better," he said.

Campaign finance

Keating and Tedeschi have raised a combined $1.7 million since 2017.

As of Sept. 15, Tedeschi had raised $690,672, which is slightly less than Keating’s $981,555, according to receipts filed with the U.S. Federal Election Commission.

But the Marshfield businessman had nonetheless spent more than Keating, putting $469,525 toward his campaign compared to Keating’s $355,209. Keating, however, still had $1.4 million in his campaign account compared to $221,147 remaining for Tedeschi.

The majority of Keating’s funding has come from individuals and groups, including political action campaigns and union groups.

Tedeschi has largely funded his own campaign, receiving some support from various individuals, family members and a couple of convenience-store PACs,

Tedeschi said the biggest surprise for him, running his first election, was how much money was involved.

"The best part of the process is meeting people," he said. "The sobering part is the influence of money in the process."

As of Oct. 12, the candidates had plans to debate five times before the election on Nov. 6.

Eli Sherman is an investigative and in-depth reporter at Wicked Local and GateHouse Media. Email him at esherman@wickedlocal.com, or follow him on Twitter @Eli_Sherman.

LEAGUE OF WOMEN VOTERS QUESTIONAIRE

Tedeschi responded, but Keating did not.

CAMPAIGN FINANCE

Keating has reported raising $981,555 since Jan. 1, 2017, including $502,800 from political action committees, and spending $355,209 on his campaign.

Tedeschi has reported raising $490,672, including $200,000 in a loan from himself and $9,450 from political action committees, and spending $469,900.

KEATING DONORS

TEDESCHI DONORS

WEBSITES

KEATING

TEDESCHI

CLICK ON THE MAP FOR A LIST OF COMMUNITIES IN THE DISTRICT

Peter Tedeschi challenges William Keating for Ninth Congressional District

Tuesday