Candidates, uncontested in their own recent party primaries, are taking time to introduce themselves in advance of November’s final elections.
Tonight, Haverhill Republican Salvatore P. DeFranco, who is vying against Democratic incumbent Andover Sen. Barry R. Finegold, will be joined by New Hampshire Republican Gov. Christopher T. Sununu for a fundraiser, from 6-8 p.m., at Gametime Lanes & Entertainment, 84 Haverhill Road, Amesbury.
DeFranco and Finegold face off Tuesday, Nov. 8, in the vastly reconfigured 2nd Essex and Middlesex District which now includes a piece of Haverhill.
Sununu broke with other northeastern governors and endorsed former President Donald Trump in 2016 and 2020. In 2021, however, he dismissed claims of any massive election fraud. According to press reports, the governor has taken both “pro-choice” and “pro-life” positions, depending on the audience, since the U.S. Supreme Court said it would strike down abortion rights.
Meanwhile, Democrat Adrianne Pusateri Ramos is seeking to succeed Rep. Christina A. Minicucci in the job of state representative in the 14th Essex District. She is opposed by Republican Joseph G. Finn. Both reside in North Andover. Minicucci chose not to run following redistricting.
Ramos, a family law partner at Prince Lobel Tye in Boston, said in a statement her priorities include expanding access to early education and higher education, greater funding for mental health services and youth wraparound services, infrastructure improvements, protecting reproductive rights and addressing the climate crisis.
“I have spent countless hours speaking to constituents in the 14th Essex. It’s clear to me that there is work to be done.”
The district, altered following the 2020 census, now includes Amesbury, Boxford, Groveland, North Andover and West Newbury.”
Ramos lives with her husband, Adam, and their three children who attend North Andover Public Schools. Her husband was raised in the Bradford area of Haverhill, where he and his family have owned a small business providing essential childcare services for more than 20 years.