Eye on Markley as State Senator Gets Ready to Run for Lieutenant Governor.

State Senator Joe Markley (R-Southington) is preparing to launch a 2018 candidate committee for lieutenant governor, Daily Ructions has learned. Markley is serving his fifth term in the state Senate. He was elected for one term in the 1984 Reagan landslide, was defeated in 1986, and reclaimed the seat in 2010.

Markley is among the most conservative members of the legislature. He tested his statewide reach in the 2015 competition for chairman of the Republican state party organization and withdrew after coming in third on the first ballot.

A Markley bid for higher office would put his Senate seat in play. It leans Republican but has elected Democrats, notable U.S. Senator Christopher Murphy in 2002.