# Dave Van Kesteren

David E. Van Kesteren (born October 7, 1955) is a Canadian politician. A member of the Conservative Party of Canada, he was the member of the House of Commons for the riding of Chatham-Kent—Leamington (known as Chatham-Kent—Essex until 2015) from the 2006 election until 2019.
A child of Dutch parents (his father was born in Noordwijk, his mother in Schoonhoven), Van Kesteren was born two years after his parents emigrated to Canada. Van Kesteren, who is married and has eight children and twenty one grandchildren, owns a Hyundai car dealership, Van Kesteren Auto Sales, which he founded in 1987. He is a charter member of the Chatham Sunrise Rotary Club and past president of the Chatham Christian Business Association.
First elected in the 2006 federal election, Van Kesteren defeated Liberal candidate Jim Comiskey by 5,616 votes in the then riding of Chatham-Kent—Essex. Previously, Van Kesteren had narrowly lost the 2004 election to Liberal incumbent Jerry Pickard by only 407 votes.

## Electoral record

vte2015 Canadian federal election: Chatham-Kent—Leamington :
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | Expenditures |
| | Conservative | Dave Van Kesteren | 21,677 | 41.71 | -11.49 | $119,230.26 |
| | Liberal | Katie Omstead | 19,351 | 37.23 | +20.95 | $64,239.01 |
| | New Democratic | Tony Walsh | 9,549 | 18.37 | -8.79 | $12,638.15 |
| | Green | Mark Vercouteren | 1,394 | 2.68 | -0.66 | $1,379.30 |
| Total valid votes/expense limit | Total valid votes/expense limit | Total valid votes/expense limit | 51,971 | 100.00 | | $213,665.70 |
| Total rejected ballots | Total rejected ballots | Total rejected ballots | 263 | 0.50 | – |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 52,234 | 65.99 | – |
| Eligible voters | Eligible voters | Eligible voters | 79,160 |
| | Conservative notional hold | Conservative notional hold | Swing | Swing | -16.22 |
| Source: Elections Canada |||||||
2011 Canadian federal election: Chatham-Kent—Essex :
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | Expenditures |
| | Conservative | Dave Van Kesteren | 23,360 | 53.8 | +5.9 | – |
| | New Democratic | Ron Franko | 11,449 | 26.3 | +9.8 | – |
| | Liberal | Matt Daudlin | 7,172 | 16.5 | -12.6 | – |
| | Green | Rob Hodgson | 1,470 | 3.4 | +0.5 | – |
| Total valid votes | Total valid votes | Total valid votes | 43,451 | 100.0 | – |
| Total rejected ballots | Total rejected ballots | Total rejected ballots | 221 | 0.05 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 43,672 | 59.43 |
| Total eligible voters | Total eligible voters | Total eligible voters | 73,484 |
2008 Canadian federal election: Chatham-Kent—Essex :
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | Expenditures |
| | Conservative | Dave Van Kesteren | 19,960 | 47.9 | +5.1 | $70,361 |
| | Liberal | Matt Daudlin | 12,127 | 29.1 | -2.2 | $46,213 |
| | New Democratic | Ron Cadotte | 6,850 | 16.5 | -5.9 | $6,134 |
| | Green | Alina Abbott | 2,712 | 6.5 | +2.9 | $1,214 |
| Total valid votes/Expense limit | Total valid votes/Expense limit | Total valid votes/Expense limit | 41,649 | 100.0 | $82,648 |
| Total rejected ballots | Total rejected ballots | Total rejected ballots | – |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | – |
2006 Canadian federal election: Chatham-Kent—Essex :
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | Dave Van Kesteren | 20,820 | 42.8 | +5.1 |
| | Liberal | Jim Comiskey | 15,204 | 31.3 | -8.3 |
| | New Democratic | Kathleen Kevany | 10,875 | 22.4 | +5.3 |
| | Green | Ken Bell | 1,737 | 3.6 | -0.6 |
| Total valid votes | Total valid votes | Total valid votes | 48,636 | 100.0 |
2004 Canadian federal election: Chatham-Kent—Essex :
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Liberal | Jerry Pickard | 17,435 | 39.6 | -10.1 |
| | Conservative | Dave Van Kesteren | 17,028 | 38.7 | -3.7 |
| | New Democratic | Kathleen Kevany | 7,538 | 17.1 | +11.6 |
| | Green | Rod Hetherington | 1,845 | 4.2 | +2.4 |
| | Marxist–Leninist | Margaret Mondaca | 150 | 0.3 | |
| Total valid votes | Total valid votes | Total valid votes | 43,996 | 100.0 |