Primary candidates for state senator in the 39th District will move forward to the November general election.

Republican incumbent Val Stevens and Democratic candidate Fred Walser were the only primary candidates for state senate in the district.

The 39th District represents the majority of eastern Skagit and Snohomish counties and a smaller portion of eastern Whatcom and King counties.

Results for the August primary will be finalized Wednesday.

According to Skagit and Snohomish county auditor Web sites, Stevens has taken the lead with 59 percent of votes in Skagit County and 60 percent in Snohomish. Walser has received 41 percent of votes in Skagit and 40 percent in Snohomish.

Between official primary results and the general election, both candidates said they will continue reaching out to voters and and addressing issues they feel are important within the district.

Stevens said she thinks people in the 39th District are concerned with the state of the economy, taxation and the way taxes are being spent. Transportation and affordable housing, which includes property taxes, are some other issues she said are of concern in the district.

The state of Washington collects 25 percent of property taxes, Stevens said, and she plans to continue to “get the state out of” collecting that portion of property tax.

“Many people don’t realize property tax affects the rent they pay,” she said. “... It affects everyone across the board.”

Stevens said she would like to see money allocated for exploring a rail system in King County, which would be used to alleviate traffic congestion and improve safety for people who want to drive their cars.

Stevens will continue to focus on improving Highway 2, which has been called “the highway of death,” she said.

Since 1999, about 50 people have lost their lives on the highway, not including those who have been terminally injured from accidents on the highway, Stevens said.

Walser said his biggest concern in his campaign is transportation and how people and goods are transported in the area.

“We’ve got to take a hard, serious look at the state of transportation in Skagit and Snohomish counties and the state of Washington,” he said.

Walser said he thinks the biggest concerns among constituents in the 39th District are the economy — especially high gas prices. That translates into transportation infrastructure improvements, something he said he has received several comments on.

Walser said he is interested in improving the transportation infrastructure and devising a better commuter rail system.

Safety improvements on Highway 20 and Highway 2 are also on his agenda for the 39th District.

In addition, education and public safety improvements are other issues he plans to address in his campaign.

“Education is something extremely important to me,” Walser said. “If we don’t do something about education, we lose economically and we lose socially.”