Residents of Cambridge and several surrounding towns will vote in a special primary election on Tuesday to select their new State Senator, replacing currently imprisoned ex-Senator Anthony D. Galluccio.

The new Senator will represent the Middlesex, Suffolk, and Essex districts.

Six Democratic candidates—half hailing from Cambridge—will vie for the seat in Tuesday’s primary. There are no Republican candidates, but one Independent, John Cesan of Agawam, plans to run in the May 11 general election.

Galluccio, a former Cambridge mayor, was arrested in October 2009 for a hit-and-run accident which injured two individuals. Within three days of his sentence of house arrest, he violated his probation by failing a series of breathalyzer tests. He was sentenced to a year in jail and resigned his Senate seat a day later.

Galluccio has maintained his innocence and plans to appeal the decision.

The candidates who hope to fill his spot include a former opponent and a former aide, those with decades in politics and those with no background in government.

Meet all six, and hear their comments:

MICHAEL J. ALBANO

Albano, a real estate broker from Chelsea, says he has “been involved in politics most of [his] life,” starting at the age of seven when he knocked on doors to campaign for his father, a former Mass. State Senator.

Albano worked as a professional political consultant in the 1980s, and once he turned to a career in the real estate and advertising industries, he continued his political activism as a volunteer on many campaigns.

“We’ve got to change the way we conduct business on Beacon Hill,” he said. “I’m just tired of the game playing. It rears its ugly head so much more clearly when things are as bad as they are now.”

“People are hurting, and they’re angry and they’re frustrated, and still our government can’t find the will to act in the best interest of children and families,” Albano added.

He stressed the need for easier credit to keep small businesses afloat.

Albano also claimed to be the only candidate who opposes the legalization of casinos in Massachussetts and voiced his support for campaign finance reform.

Albano is optimistic about his chances: “Signs don’t vote,” he said. “People vote.”