Joe Markley

Joe Markley

Republican Party

Prior offices

Connecticut State Senate

---

Connecticut State Senate District 16

Successor: Robert C. Sampson

Predecessor: Sam Caligiuri

---

Elections and appointments

Last election

November 6, 2018

Education

Bachelor's

Amherst College

Graduate

Columbia University

Personal

Profession

Educator

Contact

Campaign Facebook

Personal website

Personal Facebook

Personal Twitter

float:right;
border:1px solid #FFB81F;
background-color: white;
width: 250px;
font-size: .9em;
margin-bottom:0px;

} .infobox p { margin-bottom: 0; } .widget-row { display: inline-block; width: 100%; margin-top: 1px; margin-bottom: 1px; } .widget-row.heading { font-size: 1.2em; } .widget-row.value-only { text-align: center; background-color: grey; color: white; font-weight: bold; } .widget-row.value-only.white { background-color: #f9f9f9; } .widget-row.value-only.black { background-color: #f9f9f9; color: black; } .widget-row.Democratic { background-color: #003388; color: white; font-weight: bold; } .widget-row.Republican { background-color: red; color: white; font-weight: bold; } .widget-row.Independent, .widget-row.Nonpartisan, .widget-row.Constitution { background-color: grey; color: white; font-weight: bold; } .widget-row.Libertarian { background-color: #f9d334; color: black; font-weight: bold; } .widget-row.Green { background-color: green; color: white; font-weight: bold; } .widget-key { width: 43%; display: inline-block; padding-left: 10px; vertical-align: top; font-weight: bold; } .widget-value { width: 57%; float: right; display: inline-block; padding-left: 10px; word-wrap: break-word; } .widget-img { width: 150px; display: block; margin: auto; } .clearfix { clear: both; }

Joe Markley is a former Republican member of the Connecticut State Senate, representing District 16 from 2011 to 2019. He previously served one term in the state Senate from 1985 to 1987.

Markley (Republican) was a candidate for Lieutenant Governor of Connecticut. Markley lost the general election on November 6, 2018, after advancing from the primary on August 14, 2018. In addition to running as a Republican Party candidate, Markley cross-filed to also run with the Independent Party in 2018.

Biography

Email [email protected] to notify us of updates to this biography.

Markley earned his B.A. from Amherst College and his M.A. in English from Columbia University. His professional experience includes working as a high school and college English teacher and executive director of state and national trade associations.

Committee assignments

2017 legislative session

At the beginning of the 2017 legislative session, this legislator served on the following committees:

2015 legislative session

At the beginning of the 2015 legislative session, Markley served on the following committees:

Connecticut committee assignments, 2015
• Appropriations
• Human Services, Ranking Member
• Program Review and Investigations
• Public Health, Ranking Member

2013-2014

At the beginning of the 2013 legislative session, Markley served on the following committees:

Connecticut committee assignments, 2013
• Appropriations
• Human Services, Ranking Member
• Labor and Public Employees, Ranking Member
• Program Review and Investigations

2011-2012

In the 2011-2012 legislative session, Markley served on these committees:

Sponsored legislation

The following table lists bills this person sponsored as a legislator, according to BillTrack50 and sorted by action history. Bills are sorted by the date of their last action. The following list may not be comprehensive. To see all bills this legislator sponsored, click on the legislator's name in the title of the table.

Elections

2018

See also: Connecticut gubernatorial and lieutenant gubernatorial election, 2018

General election

General election for Lieutenant Governor of Connecticut

Susan Bysiewicz defeated Joe Markley, Monte Frank, Jeffrey Thibeault, and John Demitrus in the general election for Lieutenant Governor of Connecticut on November 6, 2018.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Susan Bysiewicz (D)	49.4	694,510
		Joe Markley (R)	46.2	650,138
		Monte Frank (Independent)	3.9	54,741
		Jeffrey Thibeault (L)	0.4	6,086
		John Demitrus (Amigo Constitution Party)	0.1	1,254
		Other/Write-in votes	0.0	74

---

	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 1,406,803
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

Democratic primary election

Democratic primary for Lieutenant Governor of Connecticut

Susan Bysiewicz defeated Eva Zimmerman in the Democratic primary for Lieutenant Governor of Connecticut on August 14, 2018.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Susan Bysiewicz	62.2	130,451
		Eva Zimmerman	37.8	79,281

---

	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 209,732
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

Withdrawn or disqualified candidates

• Charlie Stallworth (D)

Republican primary election

Republican primary for Lieutenant Governor of Connecticut

Joe Markley defeated Erin Stewart and Jayme Stevenson in the Republican primary for Lieutenant Governor of Connecticut on August 14, 2018.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Joe Markley	47.6	65,919
		Erin Stewart	32.7	45,307
		Jayme Stevenson	19.6	27,156

---

	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 138,382
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

Withdrawn or disqualified candidates

• Peter Tesei (R)
• Ann Brookes (R)

2016

See also: Connecticut State Senate elections, 2016

Elections for the Connecticut State Senate took place in 2016. The primary election took place on August 9, 2016, and the general election was held on November 8, 2016. The candidate filing deadline was June 7, 2016.

Incumbent Joe Markley defeated Ryan Rogers in the Connecticut State Senate District 16 general election.

Connecticut State Senate, District 16 General Election, 2016
Party		Candidate	Vote %	Votes
	Republican	Joe Markley Incumbent	62.24%	29,610
	Democratic	Ryan Rogers	37.76%	17,966
Total Votes				47,576
Source: Connecticut Secretary of the State

Ryan Rogers ran unopposed in the Connecticut State Senate District 16 Democratic primary.

Connecticut State Senate, District 16 Democratic Primary, 2016
Party		Candidate
	Democratic	Ryan Rogers  (unopposed)

Incumbent Joe Markley ran unopposed in the Connecticut State Senate District 16 Republican primary.

Connecticut State Senate, District 16 Republican Primary, 2016
Party		Candidate
	Republican	Joe Markley Incumbent (unopposed)

2014

See also: Connecticut State Senate elections, 2014

Elections for the Connecticut State Senate consisted of a primary election on August 12, 2014, and a general election on November 4, 2014. The signature filing deadline for candidates wishing to run in this election was June 10, 2014. Incumbent Joe Markley was unopposed in the Republican primary and defeated Christopher R. Robertson (Working Families) in the general election.

Connecticut State Senate, District 16 General Election, 2014

Party		Candidate	Vote %	Votes
	Republican	Joe Markley Incumbent	78.8%	22,132
	Working Families	Christopher R. Robertson	21.2%	5,945
Total Votes				28,077

2012

See also: Connecticut State Senate elections, 2012

Markley ran in the 2012 election for Connecticut State Senate District 16. Markley ran unopposed in the Republican primary on August 14, 2012. He defeated Corky Mazurek (D) in the general election on November 6, 2012.

Connecticut State Senate, District 16, General Election, 2012

Party		Candidate	Vote %	Votes
	Republican	Joe Markley Incumbent	52.2%	22,455
	Democratic	Corky Mazurek	47.8%	20,561
Total Votes				43,016

2010

See also: Connecticut State Senate elections, 2010

Markley was uncontested in the August 10 primary. He defeated Democrat John N. Barry in the November 2 general election.

Connecticut State Senate, District 16 General Election (2010)
Candidates		Votes
Joe Markley (R)		16,861
John N. Barry (D)		14,607
Carmine Capobianco (Ind)		838

Campaign themes

2018

Ballotpedia survey responses

See also: Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection

Joe Markley completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey. The survey questions appear in bold and are followed by Markley's responses.

What would be your top three priorities, if elected?

Reducing state spending and taxes. Restoring economic growth. Protecting personal liberty.

What areas of public policy are you personally passionate about?

As principle architect and sponsor of the state's first home care program for senior citizens, I have an ongoing commitment to programs that help keep people in their homes, receiving the treatment most appropriate to their needs.

Who do you look up to? Whose example would you like to follow, and why?

Ronald Reagan and Jack Kemp were two great conservatives who stressed the positive side of the conservative message: the promise of prosperity and opportunity for all that the free market offers.

Is there a book, essay, film, or something else you would recommend to someone who wants to understand your political philosophy?

Among recent books, The Righteous Mind by Jonathan Haidt strikes me as unusually perceptive. James Howard Kunstler's The Geography of Nowhere opened my eyes to some fundamental problems in our society. Joseph Tainter's The Collapse of Complex Societies is even more fundamental, and more alarming!

What characteristics or principles are most important for an elected official?

A knowledge of one's own principles and an understanding and appreciation of the motivations of others.

If you could be any fictional character, who would you want to be?

Not by choice, I feel closest to Count Pierre in War and Peace.

Note: Ballotpedia reserves the right to edit Candidate Connection survey responses. Any edits made by Ballotpedia will be clearly marked with [brackets] for the public. If the candidate disagrees with an edit, he or she may request the full removal of the survey response from Ballotpedia.org. Ballotpedia does not edit or correct typographical errors unless the candidate's campaign requests it.

2014

Markley's website highlighted the following campaign themes:

State Spending

• Excerpt: "Connecticut has the highest total taxes per capita, the highest state debt per capita, and over the last twenty years, the slowest economic growth. That trifecta will lead us to disaster, unless we bring state spending under control, end and then roll back our tax increases, and create a favorable climate for job growth."

Jobs

• Excerpt: "I oppose the corporate welfare practices by the Malloy administration. The state should not try to pick winners and losers—that's a formula for waste, abuse, and corruption. Instead we must restore opportunity that enables private initiative to create good jobs throughout Connecticut."

Crime

• Excerpt: "Public order is the fundamental purpose of all government. Our lawsmust clearly and decisively protect our personal safety, and the state must fund that obligation."

Education

• Excerpt: "Government must return to its foundation, the people, with powerand funding passed from Washington to Hartford, and from Hartford to our communities."

Conservation

• Excerpt: "I am a conservative of the old-style, dedicated to preserving ourheritage, natural, cultural, social, and architectural. We should take care about consuming or destroying what can't readily be replaced or replenished."

Campaign finance summary

---

Note: The finance data shown here comes from the disclosures required of candidates and parties. Depending on the election or state, this may represent only a portion of all the funds spent on their behalf. Satellite spending groups may or may not have expended funds related to the candidate or politician on whose page you are reading this disclaimer. Campaign finance data from elections may be incomplete. For elections to federal offices, complete data can be found at the FEC website. Click here for more on federal campaign finance law and here for more on state campaign finance law.

---

Joe Markley campaign contribution history

Year	Office	Status	Contributions	Expenditures
2016	Connecticut State Senate, District 16	Won	$112,968	N/A**
2014	Connecticut State Senate, District 16	Won	$72,296	N/A**
2012	Connecticut State Senate, District 16	Won	$107,636	N/A**
2010	Connecticut State Senate, District 16	Won	$114,315	N/A**
Grand total			$407,215	N/A**
Sources: OpenSecrets,  Federal Elections Commission ***This product uses the openFEC API but is not endorsed or certified by the Federal Election Commission (FEC).
** Data on expenditures is not available for this election cycle
Note: Totals above reflect only available data.

Scorecards

See also: State legislative scorecards and State legislative scorecards in Connecticut

A scorecard evaluates a legislator’s voting record. Its purpose is to inform voters about the legislator’s political positions. Because scorecards have varying purposes and methodologies, each report should be considered on its own merits. For example, an advocacy group’s scorecard may assess a legislator’s voting record on one issue while a state newspaper’s scorecard may evaluate the voting record in its entirety.

Ballotpedia is in the process of developing an encyclopedic list of published scorecards. Some states have a limited number of available scorecards or scorecards produced only by select groups. It is Ballotpedia’s goal to incorporate all available scorecards regardless of ideology or number.

Click here for an overview of legislative scorecards in all 50 states. To contribute to the list of Connecticut scorecards, email suggestions to [email protected].

2018

In 2018, the Connecticut General Assembly was in session from February 7 to May 9.

• Connecticut AFL-CIO

Legislators are scored on their votes on bills related to labor policy.

• Connecticut League of Conservation Voters

Legislators are scored on their votes on bills related to environmental issues.

• The American Conservative Union

Legislators are scored on their votes on conservative issues.

2017

To view all the scorecards we found for this legislator in 2017, click [show].

In 2017, the Connecticut General Assembly was in session from January 4 through June 7. The legislature held a veto session on July 24. The legislature held its first special session on July 31. The legislature held its second special session from September 14 to September 16. The legislature held another special session on October 3. State lawmakers held their fourth special session from October 25 to October 26. The legislature met again in special session from November 14 to November 15. Connecticut League of Conservation Voters Legislators are scored on their votes on bills related to environmental issues. The American Conservative Union Legislators are scored on their votes on conservative issues.

2016

To view all the scorecards we found for this legislator in 2016, click [show].

In 2016, the Connecticut General Assembly was in session from February 3 through May 4. The Legislature held a special session from May 12-13 to pass the state budget. Connecticut AFL-CIO Legislators are scored on their votes on bills related to labor policy. Connecticut League of Conservation Voters Legislators are scored on their votes on bills related to environmental issues. National Federation of Independent Business Legislators are scored on their votes on bills related to business issues. The American Conservative Union Legislators are scored on their votes on conservative issues.

2015

To view all the scorecards we found for this legislator in 2015, click [show].
In 2015, the Connecticut General Assembly was in session from January 7 through June 3. Connecticut League of Conservation Voters Legislators are scored on their votes on bills related to environmental issues. The American Conservative Union Legislators are scored on their votes on conservative issues.

2014

To view all the scorecards we found for this legislator in 2014, click [show].
In 2014, the Connecticut General Assembly was in session from February 5 to May 7. Connecticut AFL-CIO Legislators are scored on their votes on bills related to labor policy. Connecticut League of Conservation Voters Legislators are scored on their votes on bills related to environmental issues.

2013

To view all the scorecards we found for this legislator in 2013, click [show].
In 2013, the Connecticut General Assembly was in session from January 9 to June 5. Ballotpedia staff did not find any state legislative scorecards published for this state in 2013. If you are aware of one, please contact [email protected] to let us know.

2012

To view all the scorecards we found for this legislator in 2012, click [show].

In 2012, the Connecticut General Assembly was in session from February 8 to May 9. Connecticut AFL-CIO Legislators are scored on their votes on bills related to labor policy. Connecticut League of Conservation Voters Legislators are scored on their votes on bills related to environmental issues. Yankee Institute's Voter Guide Each member of the Connecticut General Assembly receives a score from 0 to 10 based on how he or she voted on ten votes."

See also

• Lieutenant Governor of Connecticut
• Connecticut gubernatorial and lieutenant gubernatorial election, 2018
• Connecticut State Senate
• Senate Committees
• Connecticut State Legislature
• Connecticut state legislative districts

External links

Suggest a link

• Search Google News for this topic

• Official campaign website
• Profile from Open States
• Biography from Project Vote Smart
• Legislative profile from Project Vote Smart
• Joe Markley on Facebook
• Campaign contributions via OpenSecrets

Footnotes

Political offices
Preceded by Sam Caligiuri	Connecticut State Senate District 16 2011–2019	Succeeded by Robert C. Sampson (R)

[show]

Current members of the Connecticut State Senate

Leadership

Majority Leader:Bob Duff

Minority Leader:Stephen Harding

Senators

District 1

John Fonfara (D)

District 2

Douglas McCrory (D)

District 3

Saud Anwar (D)

District 4

MD Rahman (D)

District 5

Derek Slap (D)

District 6

Rick Lopes (D)

District 7

John Kissel (R)

District 8

Lisa Seminara (R)

District 9

Matthew Lesser (D)

District 10

Gary Winfield (D)

District 11

Martin Looney (D)

District 12

Christine Cohen (D)

District 13

Jan Hochadel (D)

District 14

James Maroney (D)

District 15

Joan Hartley (D)

District 16

Robert Sampson (R)

District 17

Jorge Cabrera (D)

District 18

Heather Somers (R)

District 19

Catherine Osten (D)

District 20

Martha Marx (D)

District 21

Kevin Kelly (R)

District 22

Marilyn Moore (D)

District 23

Herron Gaston (D)

District 24

Julie Kushner (D)

District 25

Bob Duff (D)

District 26

Ceci Maher (D)

District 27

Patricia Miller (D)

District 28

Tony Hwang (R)

District 29

Mae Flexer (D)

District 30

Stephen Harding (R)

District 31

Henri Martin (R)

District 32

Eric Berthel (R)

District 33

Norm Needleman (D)

District 34

Paul Cicarella (R)

District 35

Jeff Gordon (R)

District 36

Ryan Fazio (R)

Democratic Party (24)

Republican Party (12)