Essex

First-term Progressive Conservative MPP Anthony Leardi entered the 2025 contest as the incumbent in this southwestern Ontario riding encompassing the municipalities of Amherstburg, Essex, Lakeshore, Kingsville, and LaSalle. Leardi had made history in 2022 by winning what had been an NDP stronghold for over a decade under former MPP Taras Natyshak. During the term, Leardi took on progressively senior roles in the government — serving as parliamentary assistant first to the Minister of Mines, then to the Minister of Agriculture, and finally to the Minister of Health — while also serving as Deputy Government House Leader.

Candidates

Anthony Leardi (Progressive Conservative) — Leardi is a lawyer who holds degrees from McGill University, the University of Windsor, and Western University. Before entering provincial politics, he spent 13 years as a federal agent prosecuting criminal offences for the Public Prosecution Service of Canada and served in municipal government as an Amherstburg councillor and deputy mayor.

Rachael Mills (NDP) — Mills is a community activist from Essex County who grew up in LaSalle and later moved to Harrow. She has worked in healthcare and customer service and sits on the local Affordable Housing Task Force. Her campaign centred on affordable housing and accessible healthcare for the riding’s smaller communities.

Tamara Stomp (Liberal) — Stomp is a Kingsville-born lawyer with over four decades of experience in family law litigation. She was elected as a bencher of the Law Society of Upper Canada in 1995 and later served on Kingsville Council from 2003 to 2014, including four years as deputy mayor.

Stephen Higgins (Green Party), Brigitte Belton (New Blue Party), Travis Jacques (Ontario Party), Kevin Linfield (None of the Above Direct Democracy Party), and William Szabo Verzoc (Independent) also contested the riding.

Local Issues

The electric vehicle transition continued to reshape the economic landscape of Essex County between 2022 and 2025. The broader Windsor-Essex region saw significant investment in EV-related manufacturing, and many Essex residents who commute to Windsor’s assembly plants watched these developments closely. However, the spectre of American tariffs loomed over the auto sector as the election approached, raising concerns about the viability of cross-border supply chains that the riding’s smaller manufacturers depend on.

Healthcare remained the top issue for voters across the riding’s municipalities. Emergency department admissions at Leamington’s hospital had risen significantly since 2023, with the hospital frequently seeing more patients than funded beds could accommodate. Doctor shortages, long waits for specialist referrals, and limited mental health services were persistent complaints raised by candidates of all parties.

Affordable housing and sustainable land use also featured prominently. The NDP candidate advocated for building new homes in communities with existing infrastructure rather than expanding into agricultural lands. Essex County’s greenhouse sector — centred in Kingsville and neighbouring Leamington — continued to press for better water supply infrastructure and relief from high energy costs.