Meet and greet Brad Fincher July 30, Aug. 4

San Juan County Sheriff candidate Brad Fincher has two meet-and-greets scheduled.

Fincher — www.fincher4sheriff.com — will meet islanders July 30 (Friday), 4-7 p.m., in the OPAL Community Land Trust conference room, 286 Enchanted Forest Road, Eastsound; and Aug. 2, 5-7 p.m., in the San Juan Island Library conference room.

Light refreshments will be served.

Three meet and greets for Brent Johnson

San Juan County Sheriff candidate Brent Johnson has three meet-and-greets scheduled.

Johnson — brentjohnsonforsheriff.blogspot.com — will meet islanders July 30 (Friday), 5-7 p.m. in the San Juan Island Library conference room; Aug. 2, 5-6:30 p.m. in the Orcas Island Public Library conference room; and Aug. 3, 4:30-5:45 p.m. in the Lopez Island Library conference room.

Light refreshments will be served.

Candidates galore at local Tea Party

Jonah Goldberg, editor of National Review Online, will be the featured speaker at the Salmon BBQ and Tea Party on Saturday, 2-6 p.m., at the Big Red Barn, 1721 Cattle Point Road in Friday Harbor.

The event is open to the public.

A full salmon dinner will be available for a donation. Tea and other beverages will be available. There will also be dancing to a live country/western band. Call 378-3843 to RSVP.

The following candidates will be represented:

• U.S. Senate: Paul Akers, Clint Didier.

• U.S. House of Representatives: John Koster.

• State Supreme Court: Jim Johnson, Richard Sanders.

• State House, 40th District: Dusty Gullison, Donna Miller, Mike Newman, John Swapp.

• San Juan County Sheriff: Jeff Asher, Brad Fincher, Brent Johnson, Felix Menjivar.

• San Juan County Council: Jerry Gonce (Lopez/Shaw), Rich Peterson (San Juan North).

Educators go with Lytton for House position 1

Kristine Lytton, candidate for 40th District state House, position 1, has been endorsed by the Public School Employees of Washington (SIEU 1948) and the Washington Education Association.

Earlier endorsements include the American Federation of Teachers (AFL-CIO), the League of Education Voters PAC, Stand for Children, the Washington National Organization for Women, the National Women’s Political Caucus of Washington, United Staff Nurses Union (UFCW 141), and the Washington Conservation Voters.

Lytton, president of the Anacortes School Board, is one of eight candidates for position 1. The top two candidates in the Aug. 17 primary will advance to the Nov. 2 general election.

Ensuring adequate funding for schools and a commitment to preparing Washington students for the global economy are among Lytton’s top legislative priorities.

Spanel endorses Pasma for House position 1

Tom Pasma, candidate for 40th District state House, position 1, has been endorsed by former state senator Harriet Spanel.

Pasma, a Democrat, is one of eight candidates for position 1.

Pasma and his wife, Sue, operate Double S Quarter Horse Ranch in Bow. He is an auctioneer at many charity events, raising hundreds of thousands of dollars for local non-profits.

In the past two years, he successfully led efforts to change state laws that impacted farmers and ranchers across the state. Among those laws: A farm internship program.

McKenna: Swapp for House position 2

John Swapp, candidate for state House of Representatives, 40th District, position 2, has been endorsed by state Attorney General Rob McKenna, former state Rep. Cheryl Hymes, the San Juan County Republican Party, the Skagit County Republican Party, and the Whatcom County Republican Party.

Swapp, a Republican and founder and owner of JetPoint Technologies, is one of three candidates running for position 2. The other candidates are Rep. Jeff Morris, D-Anacortes, House speaker pro tem; and Howard Pellett, Green Party. The top two candidates in the Aug. 17 primary will advance to the Nov. 2 general election.

Larsen endorsed by police, sheriffs

The Washington Council of Police and Sheriffs (WACOPS) and the Law Enforcement Administrators of Washington (LAW) have endorsed U.S. Rep. Rick Larsen, D-Everett, for a sixth term.

Larsen earlier received the endorsement of the Washington State Patrol Troopers Association.

As co-chairman of the House Meth Caucus, Larsen worked to pass the Combat Methamphetamine Epidemic Act, which makes it more difficult for meth producers to get the ingredients they need to make the drug. He also backed legislation to strengthen the Community Oriented Policing Program, which has helped local law enforcement agencies hire more than 100,000 police officers nationwide.

GOP: Koster is a ‘contender’ for Congress

The National Republican Congressional Committee has placed the Koster for Congress campaign in “Contender” status.

By reaching “Contender” status, the Koster campaign has proven its ability to build a successful and competitive campaign, the NRCC reported. Koster’s campaign raised $210,118 during the second quarter; Rep. Rick Larsen’s campaign raised $319,288.

Koster served three terms in the state House and is now a Snohomish County Council member.

Learn about candidates for Congress

Learn about the candidates for U.S. House of Representatives, 2nd District, in the online voters guide, wei.secstate.wa.gov/sanjuan/currentelection/Pages/OnlineVotersGuide.aspx

The online voters guide has biographies, candidate statements and contact information for the candidates: John Carmack, Larry Kalb, John Koster, Rick Larsen and Diana McGinness.

Information for other races is included.