Ashley Sullivan

Political platform statement

Ashley Sullivan of Gloucester is a Republican candidate in the special election to fill the Massachusetts House 5th Essex District seat left vacant by the death of Rep. Ann-Margaret Ferrante. Sullivan is a longtime Cape Ann resident, small-business owner, and former chair of the Gloucester Republican City Committee. She previously ran for this seat in 2022, campaigning on support for small businesses and the region’s fishing industry.

At her campaign launch, Sullivan emphasized the affordability pressures facing residents and the importance of strengthening the local economy. She said her priorities include supporting family-friendly policies, protecting working industries like fishing, and advocating for limited government and greater transparency in state policymaking. Sullivan has been especially vocal in her opposition to large-scale offshore wind development, arguing that turbine foundations, subsea cables, and related infrastructure disrupt the ocean floor, interfere with fish migration, and pose risks to whales and other marine life.

Sullivan and her husband, Caoin, co-own Shore Tech, a Gloucester-based business that provides electrical and technological services to commercial and recreational vessels. They raised their children on Cape Ann, and she often frames her campaign around preserving the region’s character and economic vitality for future generations.

If nominated in the March 3 Republican primary, Sullivan will face the Democratic primary winner in the March 31 special election.