State Senate Republican Caucus leader John Braun, of Centralia, will be among the guest speakers at the 47th legislative district Senate campaign kickoff in Kent for Bill Boyce.

The event is from 6 to 8 p.m. Wednesday, Dec. 15 at the accesso ShoWare Center, 625 W. James St. People who want to attend are asked to RSVP at votebillboyce.com. Appetizers and drinks will be served.

Other speakers will include Dana Ralph, mayor of Kent; Jim Berrios, retired business owner of the Golden Steer restaurant and a former Kent City Council member; Todd Minor, owner of Nana’s Southern Kitchen and a senior director at Microsoft; and Gary McCulley, a close friend of Boyce and a Boeing co-worker.

Boyce, a Kent City Councilmember, is running as a Republican next year against Sen. Mona Das, D-Kent, who defeated Republican incumbent Joe Fain in 2018. According to her campaign website, Das has a long list of endorsements, including Senate Majority Leader Andy Billig, D-Spokane; Kent City Councilmembers Satwinder Kaur and Brenda Fincher; and Dennis Higgins, a former Kent City Council member.

Braun was first elected to the Senate in 2012 to represent Southwest Washington’s 20th legislative district, which includes most of Cowlitz and Lewis counties along with parts of Clark and Thurston. He is a member of the Senate Ways & Means Committee and the Labor, Commerce & Tribal Affairs Committee.

Braun is president of Braun Northwest, a family-owned company in business since 1986. The Chehalis firm specializes in building emergency vehicles.