Fresh Off Slots Fight, Franchot May Face New Battle
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Maryland Comptroller Peter Franchot, who lost his battle to defeat slot machine gambling and alienated many in Annapolis in the process, might have a new fight on his hands: keeping his job.
Del. Brian J. Feldman (D-Montgomery) is the latest name to surface as a potential 2010 Democratic primary challenger to Franchot.
Feldman certainly appears qualified to be Maryland's chief tax collector: He is a certified public accountant and a former tax lawyer with the U.S. Department of Justice. Feldman is also chairman of the Montgomery House delegation.
His abilities to raise money and campaign statewide remain untested, however.
In an interview, Feldman was coy about his intentions, saying that being comptroller "is not something that's on my radar screen right now." Asked if he would rule out a run, Feldman said: "A lot could happen in the next two years. I think I'll leave it at that."
If Feldman decides to run, he has one other potential leg up: He and Franchot both hail from Montgomery. That could ease concerns in the Washington region about losing a statewide officeholder if Franchot is ousted.
The most frequently mentioned potential Democratic challenger to Franchot has been term-limited Baltimore County Executive James T. Smith Jr. Smith is close to Gov. Martin O'Malley (D), whose brother is Smith's chief of staff.
Franchot spokesman Joe Shapiro said in a statement that the comptroller is "not worrying about the next election. He is concentrating on getting down to work with the Governor, the Legislature and business leaders from across the state to finally address the structural deficit the state is facing."
During the campaign over Tuesday's slots referendum, Franchot's aggressive tactics drew criticism even from fellow slots opponents. Some were irked that Franchot urged voters not to trust other politicians in Annapolis, where he served as a delegate for 20 years.
There is little evidence that Franchot hurt himself beyond Annapolis.
His campaigning heightened his visibility statewide, particularly in the African American community, and allowed him to expand his database of potential supporters, aides said.
The comptroller was still fighting slots the morning after the election, as he appeared at the Board of Public Works, a three-member panel on which he sits with O'Malley and Treasurer Nancy K. Kopp (D).
