Congressional Candidate Aims to Put Constitution First

Pete Kesterson is Redondo Beach's modern-day patriot. He quotes the Founding Fathers, refers often to American history and even carries around his pocket Constitution wherever he goes. One of three Republicans vying for his party's nomination in the primary Tuesday, Kesterson is hoping these traditional beliefs will win him the 36^th Congressional District seat.

Kesterson may be rooted in the past, but he keeps in touch with his supporters in a modern way. He put his cell phone number on his campaign website and invited voters  to call him. If he doesn't answer, he calls back within hours, he says.

"If I go to Washington, I'm not going to change my number," he said. "I think that access to your representative is critical in a representative government."

Kesterson has met with district residents who requested time to talk about the issues, and at Meet Pete Fridays from 6 to 8 p.m  he opens his headquarters to the public, encouraging voters to come inside and ask questions.

"The primaries are just days away, and I want people to be able to find out as much as they want to find out," he explained.

The Redondo Beach financial adviser maintains a calm demeanor within the bustle of his campaign headquarters. And even when it comes to talking about what upsets him most about the federal government, he uses a soft-spoken tone.

"I look at where we are today, and I don't think we've been in this much trouble since the Civil War," Kesterson said. "The divide in the country, the political path shows there's this push towards socialism and tyranny, and [my candidacy] is pushing towards liberty and freedom. The government is taking too much control and look where it's taking us. We need to control spending, we need to get people back to work, and we need to put national security on our priority list."

If it sounds as though Kesterson has a lot on his mind, he does. He says he is eager to bring back the principles of the Constitution as foundations of all lawmaking. The Founding Fathers would not have approved the recent health care reform, he said, or any of the recent industry bailouts. To Kesterson, if something is not in the Constitution it should not be law.

"To me, that's my instruction manual," he said. "If you look at what the federal government has done in the last year, it's unbelievable. It's one of the reasons why I decided to run this year."

Something happened in the last year and he "snapped," he said. He felt an obligation to "stand up and save the union."

Kesterson is no stranger to politics. He was a high school class officer, president of the freshman class in college and was involved in campaigns for George H.W. Bush, George W. Bush and John McCain. He is the president of the Beach Cities Republican Club and an elected member of the 53^rd Assembly District Republican Central Commission, among several other positions. Needless to say, he is involved in the city and surrounding areas.

Residents of the 36^th District, which includes Redondo Beach, Manhattan Beach, Torrance, El Segundo and Venice, are predominantly conservative, Kesterson believes. He said he would provide his constituents a clear, conservative focus whereas the district's current representative, Jane Harman (D-Venice), does not. Harman's office could not be reached for comment.

Andrew Sharp, one of Kesterson's opponents in the Republican primary, says Kesterson could be "more of the same." Sharp considers himself a Tea Party Republican who would bring "fresh perspectives" to the table.

"[Kesterson and fellow Republican candidate Mattie Fein] seem to be 'establishment Republicans' in one form or another," he said. "When I was considering running, I saw a need for someone that wasn't more of the same. I feel like people are fed up with candidates that are from a political machinery, and I'm not coming from that." 

For Kesterson, introducing legislation to end federal law exemptions and pension plans for members of Congress would be one of his first goals if he's elected. He'd also like to see the health care legislation repealed and the tax code changed.

Kesterson says on his website that his leadership skills have been shaped by his experience in high school and college student government, being captain of the football team and helping to run his family's music store in Florida.

"There is a lot to be done," he said about the post he's seeking. "It's a tough job but I'm looking forward to it."