Under Washington’s new Top Two Primary system, the two candidates in the Aug. 19 primary’s partisan races who receive the most votes in their race will move on to face off in the November general election. In the race for the U.S. House of Representatives, District 2, we believe the two who should move on are the incumbent Rick Larsen and challenger Rick Bart.

Voters in the primary will be able to select from four candidates — Bart, Larsen, Doug Schaffer and Glen Johnson. While we commend all four candidates for their willingness to get involved and their efforts to make a difference, we believe the two candidates who could best represent the people in our communities are Larsen and Bart.

The incumbent Larsen has served as our representative for the past eight years and has accomplished much during that time. He currently serves on the House’s Committee on Armed Services, Committee on Transportation and the Committee on Small Business. Larsen has been effective in many areas including bringing in federal dollars for transportation projects in Snohomish County including the Oliver “Punks” Smith overpass and interchange at I-5 and SR 530, as well as Highway 2.

Larsen also worked with Washington Sen. Patty Murray on the Wild Sky Wilderness which was passed by the House and Senate in April and signed by Pres. George Bush in May. The two also worked together to get the Veterans Administration to open an interim community-based outpatient clinic in Northwest Washington which allows the veterans in our community to get the health care they deserve closer to home. The two continue work to get the VA to open a permanent clinic in the district.

Larsen has many other accomplishments and his experience as a four-term member of the House would enable him to accomplish much more in the next two years.

Bart also has an extensive history of service and accomplishment. Bart has been in law enforcement for 37 years, 34 of those in the Snohomish County Sheriff’s Office. In 1995, Bart was elected Snohomish County Sheriff, a position he held for 12 years until he retired in January 2008. He has served in a variety of professional and community organizations including Families and Friends of Violent Crime Victims, Washington Association of County Officials, National Sheriffs Association, Snohomish County Meth Team, Snohomish County Big Brothers and Sisters, Mt. Baker National Forest Resource Committee, the Marysville Rotary and more.

The plain-speaking Bart is a moderate who believes that both parties — Republicans and Democrats — must work together to solve the significant issues we face today.

For more information, go to the candidates’ Web sites at: Rick Bart, www.electrickbart.com; Rick Larsen, www.ricklarsen.org; Doug Schaffer, www.scafferforcongress.com and Glen Johnson, www.glenjohnsonforcongress.com.

To contact a member of The Marysville Globe/Arlington Times editorial board — Stuart Chernis or Scott Frank — e-mail forum@marysvilleglobe.com.