Rep. Don Turner (R-Milton) made it official Wednesday: He is running for lieutenant governor of Vermont.

The Republican lawmaker, who has served as House minority leader since 2011, will challenge incumbent Lt. Gov. David Zuckerman, a Progressive and Democrat first elected in 2016. No other candidates have yet emerged.

Seven Days reported Tuesday that Turner supporters were collecting the 500 signatures required to get his name on the ballot. He declined to comment on his intentions at the time. In a story published Wednesday by his hometown newspaper, the Milton Independent, Turner confirmed that he'd be seeking the state's second-highest office.

“This is an uphill battle,” Turner told Seven Days during a brief interview Wednesday afternoon at the Statehouse.

He said his campaign would focus on the “financial well-being of the state” and “what it costs to live here.” Referring to Zuckerman, Turner said, “I like Dave personally but his beliefs and mine are totally different.”

The minority leader expressed confidence that he could juggle his day job as Milton’s town manager with the duties of lieutenant governor. He noted that although the lieutenant governor is charged with presiding over the Senate, its president pro tempore can perform that role in his absence.