Republican lieutenant governor nominee Joe Markely says he is in regular contact with Bob Stefanowski, the top candidate on the GOP ticket.
He says any insinuation that the two are not in contact or that Stefanowski has worked to stay away from Markley, is simply false.
"It’s funny that I get asked this and to my mind, and to Bob’s mind, the reason is clear, which is we can cover twice as much if we’re not together," Markley said during an interview Tuesday. "We’ve been together some times. We’ll be at an event tomorrow. We’ll be at an event over the weekend, but we talk regularly, and we meet regularly.”
Markley has served in the Connecticut State Senate since 2011, representing Southington, and decided to run for lieutenant governor instead of another term. His win in 2010 was his second, he had served a term in the 1980s.
He's known as one of the most conservative members of the General Assembly. He's one of the few outspoken anti-abortion voices. He also cast votes against bills aimed at pay equity, and establishing "yes means yes," as the standard for consent on Connecticut college campuses.
He says while he holds those views, it's the economy where he and Stefanowski align closest. Stefanowski has campaigned on eliminating the state income tax, and Markley led a protest against the income tax of tens of thousands at the Connecticut State Capitol when it was being debated in 1992.
Markley says cutting the income tax can happen, and thinks the second budget year is when relief would come to taxpayers.
Politics
"Bob’s plan would be to start reducing the income tax in the third year, that the first thing we have to do is get through a budget cycle without raising taxes and then when the economy begins to come back, we’ll have a little revenue so we can start cutting taxes and if you look at the plan it’s all predicated on the idea that the tax cuts will generate revenue, which will allow more tax cuts," Markley said.
Markley admits the two did not know each other before they became running mates, but says they are aligned politically and will keep working through the next three weeks to drive voters out to vote for Republicans.
"We’re kind of kindred spirits and cut from the same cloth in a lot of ways, but with complementary skills," Markley said. And whether there are any doubts or hesitation in this new partnership, he says, "No, I’ve had no hesitation and frankly, like Bob, what I want to talk about is this economy."
