Two Republican U.S. Senate candidates — one of them a noted former NFL tight end — bring their campaigns to Friday Harbor in April.

Clint Didier is the special guest at a no-host lunch upstairs at the China Pearl, April 2 at 11:30 a.m. He played for the Washington Redskins from 1982-87 and for the Green Bay Packers from 1988-89. He was a member of two winning Super Bowl teams and was inducted into the Portland State Football Hall of Fame in 2000 and the Central Washington Football Hall of Fame in 2002.

Didier is co-head football coach at Connell High School.

Sean Salazar is the special guest at a no-host lunch upstairs at the China Pearl April 20, and on Orcas Island the same day from 4:30-6:30 p.m. He is a chiropractor, a Navy veteran, and a former congressional candidate who worked in John McCain’s presidential campaign and Arnold Schwarzenegger’s campaign for California governor.

The lunches are open to the public. Visit the San Juan County Republican Party Web site for updated information about campaigns and opportunities to meet candidates.

The San Juan County Republican Party held its annual convention on March 27 in Friday Harbor and adopted the following platform:

STATEMENT OF PRINCIPLES
We reaffirm the words of our founding fathers embodied in the U. S. Constitution and in the Declaration of Independence:

“We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal; that they are endowed by their creator with certain unalienable Rights: that among these are life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. That, to secure these rights, governments are instituted among men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed …”

PLATFORM
1. Limited Government: As our founding Fathers recognized, restraint of government is necessary to protect the liberties of the people. All members (of a body) should read and understand bills they are voting on. If they don’t read or understand, they should vote no.

2. Fiscal Responsibility: Government at all levels must learn to live within its means. To saddle future generations with the crushing burden of our excess spending is unconscionable.

3. Personal Responsibility: Liberty is unsustainable without responsibility. Each citizen must take responsibility for the consequences of his or her own actions while respecting the rights and dignity of others.

4. The Rule of Law: Consistent, independent and uniform application of the law is critical to a free and prosperous society.

5. National Sovereignty: We must maintain a strong national defense, effective security for our borders, and sole control over our land and laws.