STATE HOUSE, BOSTON, Feb. 2, 2026…..Two Republicans and a Democrat will be on 5th Essex special election primary ballots in early March, in a race that also features write-in and unaffiliated candidate hopefuls.

The theme of affordability runs through the campaigns of Republicans Ashley Sullivan and Christina Delisio, who will square off in the March 3 primary.

Former Gloucester Rep. Ann-Margaret Ferrante died on Nov. 27, 2025 at the age of 53 after a battle with pancreatic cancer. She held the Cape Ann seat for nearly 17 years, a district that includes Essex, Rockport, Manchester-by-the Sea and Gloucester.  Before Ferrante, Democrat Anthony Verga held the seat.

“If we want affordability, we need transparency, oversight and leadership that puts residents first,” Delisio said in a campaign video, pronouncing support for a legislative audit. “Cape Ann can’t afford politics as usual.”

The Manchester resident also named accountability and local control as focuses, and called out the state’s high electricity rates “due to policies from Beacon Hill that benefit special interests and not the ratepayer.”

The UMass Lowell graduate started an environmental consulting career before attending law school in Boston. She relocated multiple times out of state to support her husband’s career and practiced law in Maryland, after which she returned to Massachusetts in 2014, according to her website. She has worked with the Manchester Essex Booster Club and the Manchester Planning Board, to which she was re-elected twice and served as vice chair.

Gloucester’s Sullivan charted a campaign against Ferrante in 2022. She received just over 30% of votes to Ferrante’s almost 70%, according to Associated Press polling.

Sullivan’s 2026 campaign hinges on supporting a legislative audit, lowering taxes, downsizing government and increasing support for fisheries. Sullivan wrote online that she began paying attention to politics when her family became homeless after her husband was laid off ten years ago.

“After years of paying thousands and thousands into the system—when we needed the help—it was not there!” she wrote on her campaign website. “Every tax, fee, fine, and regulation was the difference between feast and famine!! Here I am homeless, scraping change together to put gas in my car, and I’m paying for ‘green energy’ upgrades to someone else’s home!! How is that fair?!”

Ferrante’s research and district director of more than two years, Andrew “Dru” Tarr, will be the only Democrat on primary ballots. Tarr began in state government as a legislative aide in 2016. He worked before that as campaign manager for Ed O’Reilly’s run for Essex County sheriff and as the membership and outreach director for the Young Democrats of Massachusetts, according to his LinkedIn.

“I have spent the past nine years tutoring under the best mentor one could possibly have asked for. Ann-Margaret Ferrante was not just my state rep, she was my teacher and friend,” the lifelong Gloucester resident wrote in his LinkedIn campaign announcement. He told the News Service in December that he never considered running for public office.

Rockport Democrat Sarah Wilkinson confirmed to the News Service that she is running a write-in campaign for the seat. Wilkinson did not meet party enrollment requirements by the deadline required to get on the ballot as a Democrat. In order to be nominated by write-in, she must beat Tarr and get at least 150 votes, Secretary of State William Galvin’s office said.

“I’ve always been Independent — I was on the Board of Selectmen in Rockport for 18 years. I always liked to think I focused on my community, not a party,” Wilkinson said. “I had intended to register in a party if the seat ever opened up, but obviously it was unexpected that Rep. Ferrante passed away.”

Wilkinson’s priorities include growing the local economy, strengthening schools, and focusing on “preservation and progress,” according to her campaign. She told the News Service that if she does not win by write-in in March, she plans to run again in the September primary election that’s part of the regular fall elections.

The special general election on March 31 will also feature unaffiliated candidate Gilbert Frieden, an Essex resident and former vice president of the Board of the Friends of the Essex Council on Aging. Frieden spent years working in finance and wealth management at Deutsche Bank and City National Bank, and is now a certified fitness instructor at multiple councils on aging across the North Shore, according to his LinkedIn. He delivered Meals on Wheel before and during the pandemic, and helped older adults organize their finances and pay bills on time at SeniorCare Inc. in Gloucester.

“I agree with many Democratic priorities, but I believe action needs to match the rhetoric,” Frieden wrote on his website. “As an unenrolled candidate, my vote can’t be taken for granted: it has to be earned. “

Delisio, Sullivan, Tarr and Wilkinson are expected to attend a candidate forum held by the Cape Ann Political Action Committee on Saturday, Feb. 7 at 10 a.m. at Gloucester High School.

Ella Adams is a reporter for the State House News Service and State Affairs Massachusetts. Reach her at ella.adams@statehousenews.com.